


Suitable Wereiness

by Ashynarr



Category: 2P Hetalia - Fandom, Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-13
Updated: 2015-07-10
Packaged: 2018-03-12 03:42:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 26
Words: 26,173
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3342263
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ashynarr/pseuds/Ashynarr
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>An otherwise routine day working as a wildlife vet is interrupted by the arrival of the most unusual wolf captured by a poacher's trap. The oddities of the whole scenario just don't add up, especially when more and more odd occurrences start happening around the building, and Alfred's determined to get to the bottom of things.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Patient Lupine

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, this is a were!AU, with Werewolf!Alexander (aka 2p Canada). I have to admit, I personally feel werewolves and the like are somewhat neater than vampires, though I'll take aliens and cyborgs over either of them any day of the week.

It would not be a shock to anyone who knew him that Alfred liked to consider himself a hero. It also wasn't a shock that that, combined with his deep affection for animals of all shapes and sizes, was what led him on the path to be a wildlife veterinarian.

Sure, it wasn't all dramatic last-minute rescues like in all those hospital dramas his older brother vehemently denied watching, but there was something satisfying with how unconditionally happy a lot of the animals brought in were, whether lost strays or injured wildlife. Not all of them were happy about check-ups - most people weren't either - but helping sick animals get better always gave him a warm fuzzy feeling in his chest.

He worked with several others at the small building just inside the local national park - Basch and Erzsebet, two of the rangers who patrolled regularly and alerted him to when his help was needed; Toris, who generally helped him out tending to the animals under their care when he wasn't busy with his other duties; and Yao, the resident ecologist who could usually be found in his office writing up his studies when he wasn't out with the rangers following the locals around to make sure the populations were staying stable.

During his six years working there he'd cared for everything from eagles to deer to bear cubs, and couldn't have been happier. In fact, when Toris scrambled into the clinic with news of a new temporary resident, he was just caring for the pair of wolf cubs who'd been separated from their pack by a run-in with a bear and almost starved to death before their rescue.

"An adult?" Alfred frowned lightly - they rarely brought in adult animals, who were much less willing to trust than their younger counterparts.

Toris nodded, tucking some stray hair back as he handed over a sheet. "They say he was caught in a bear trap, already out cold by the time they literally stumbled over him. We're hoping to help him recover and find out who was trying to poach in a protected area."

The young American frowned more, wishing that there weren't people out there who thought they were above the rules and could do such cruel things to animals who'd never done harm besides existing. "Right, I'll get the table ready for surgery, can you go grab the tetanus shot and the suture?"

"On it." With that the slighter man dashed back out the door, Alfred already grabbing a clean cloth to throw over the operating table before grabbing out two pairs of gloves, surgical masks, and a set of sterilized tools, along with a needle for blood sampling.

(They couldn't risk missing something that could leave the poor thing sick for months or even longer, after all.)

It wasn't ten minutes later that Toris and Alfred were ready, just in time for the rangers to haul in what was possibly largest wolf either had seen; even from there the two could see the injured leg, red still visible against the silver-grey fur. As soon as the other two left the room again the duo set to work, shaving the fur from around the wound so they could better clean the wound before applying some antibacterial ointment and stitching the holes shut. Only once the task was done did Alfred turn to check on the blood tests, which Toris had started just as he was finishing the stitches before leaving the American to finish up while he wrote out a report to send in on the incident.

At first glance everything seemed in order, though the longer he looked over the results the more he frowned. There was something - off - about a few of the results, and while normally that would indicate disease, these readings didn't at all match what he was used to seeing when that was the case.

Shaking his head and telling himself he would come back to it once he'd had a chance to clean up a bit and grab something to eat - he'd had to skip lunch for the emergency - he'd barely made it down the hall before running into Basch.

"Is he okay?" The ranger asked, relaxing when Alfred grinned and gave him a thumbs up.

"He'll be just fine." His smile faltered a little at the memory of the odd test results, shaking his head to get rid of the thoughts and turning back to his coworker only to notice something odd. "What's that on your hands?"

"Hmm?" The Swiss man looked down to look at the black stains on his hands with a frown. "I think they're just oil stains."

"You sure?" Alfred asked with a frown. "They look like you were holding something for a while."

"The last thing I was carrying was the trap we pulled the wolf from…"

Both of them came to a similar conclusion at the same time. "Shit, that's what was throwing me, there was something on the trap-"

"I'll go get it so we can find out what it is."

"Hurry up!" Alfred immediately turned back to return to his patient, figuring his best shot was the Internet at this point.

By the time Basch had returned with the trap - this time wearing gloves - the vet had narrowed it down to a likely candidate of silver nitrate - an absolutely odd answer, but the one that fit best with the stain, especially when it barely washed away with thorough scrubbing until they added ammonia to the mix.

"Why in the world would they use that, though? It's not even toxic at these levels or for short exposure..."

The ranger shrugged, reclaiming the trap with much more caution. "Maybe they mixed it up with another chemical?"

"Possibly," Alfred frowned in thought as the man left to report to Toris, looking back to the unconscious wolf. "Weird mistake for a poacher to make, though."

It was an irritant in some cases, sure, but surely not something capable of causing a near-allergic reaction, right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter will be going over to the main POV of our other star, Alex, so no need to worry! And yes, all the of characters I've introduced here will play important parts in the plot in their own ways, even if it's not obvious at first glance.


	2. Waking Up

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When I first wrote and posted this over on ffnet, I still honestly had no clue where I was going with the plot. Thankfully I figured it out fast, so the fic doesn't even feel too much like I'm plodding around for no reason...
> 
> At least I hope it doesn't, anyways.

The wolf still hadn't woken up by the following morning, when Alfred stopped in to give the pups their morning meal and check on the newest patient's stitches. He wasn't too surprised that the two were wary of the larger animal - who knew if they were even from the same pack?

(Erzsebet had yet to figure out which pack the wolf had come from, which was odd for such a visually distinct creature. He was just a bundle of more and more mysteries, wasn't he?)

The stitches hadn't torn overnight, and there was no signs of inflammation or infection like he'd been worrying over since the results of all the blood tests had been recorded. Alfred sighed in thanks, hoping everything would go cleanly from here (though it would be a pain if this wolf was one of the ones who loved to bite at the itching, healing wounds.)

"You're pretty lucky, big guy." Alfred ran a hand across the wolf's fur, scratching briefly behind the ears like he'd done with his old mutt as a kid. "If the blood loss hadn't killed you, that allergic reaction probably would've if Liz and Basch hadn't found you in time."

He was glad no one was around to see him talk to the wolf, or else he'd be teased about it for the rest of the week again. If he wasn't chastised for trying to treat the wild animals like pets, of course.

"Liz says she has no idea which pack you're from, since she doesn't remember anyone your size running around with them. Hopefully it's just us not knowing as much as we like to say we do so you can join up with them once you're all better."

Alfred chuckled a bit. "Wouldn't it be lucky if you were from the same group as our other two, huh? I don't think they are from how they're acting, but Yao would know more than me about that. I just make you take your meds.

"Anyways, I need to check on the pups again and make sure they're eating. I'll bring you something when you wake up, alright?" The vet gave the wolf one last pat before getting to his feet, stretching his arms out briefly. "Just don't chew on your stitches - those things are expensive."

Alfred walked out of the room, not noticing the one dark blue eye cracking open to follow after him until the door clicked shut.

Alexander sighed softly, closing his eye and resuming his 'sleeping' pose while he thought. He'd actually woken up the previous night, but had fallen asleep again once his still-hazy mind registered that his body was barely aching anymore. He'd actually only woken up again because he'd heard the rather loud footsteps approaching, though he stayed still in case they were one of the people who had made that infernal were trap in the first place.

But, to his surprise, it'd just been some normal guy with a penchant for rambling and wandering hands. Though he couldn't deny the attention hadn't been bad, per say…

Blood loss and allergies. How had these people found him before the hunters had? He couldn't deny, though, that at the least it seemed a safe place to recover, even if he couldn't really change safely with his leg as it was. He could feel where the skin was bared, a cold spot where everything else was warm, not to mention itching like a bitch-

Alex firmly clamped down on the first instinct to scratch at it until it stopped, not interested in extending his stay here longer than necessary. He had no clue how long it'd be until the hunters realized their prey was gone, and if they found out where he was…

No, he was not getting these folk involved if he could help it. He was a beast, not a monster.

 _Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrgrl._ He was also hungry, as his stomach finally decided to remind him. Alex just hoped the generic dog food wouldn't taste too horrible.

(It did, but between the stewed meat mixed with it and his hunger it was tolerable enough that he finished it off.)

Thankfully Alfred (as the vet introduced himself - really, what a weird person) had given him his space to eat, allowing him to make all the faces at the blandness he wanted without being looked at strangely.

He sat back, licking the remaining meat off his jaw while thinking of his next step. He'd never gotten a silver-poisoned injury before, and he didn't know how thorough the vet and his friend 'Toris' had been in getting it out, so he had no clue how long it would take to recover. Hopefully only a few weeks at most; this place was way too - calming. It'd lower his guard, make him relaxed when he should be cautious. It'd get him killed, eventually.

This building - and that vet - were Bad News.

The only way it could be worse is if that obnoxious fucker Tommy showed up to mock him in his misery. At least he could be glad the guy was a fucking idiot and so probably wouldn't figure it out until he was already gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here's chapter two! We get our first look into Alex's mindset about the issue and a bit more into Alfred's character. Hopefully I'll be able to bring the other characters I've mentioned into the story more as I go along, because they don't get enough interaction time with Alfred as it is, and he needs more non-FACE friends (that aren't Ivan).
> 
> Also, any bets on how long it takes Tommy to find Alex? I'm also taking bets on how long it takes Alex to get sick of pet food and try to liberate some real food.


	3. Not Safe For Outdoor Use

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My first hurdle with this fic - finding out how to explain the fact that a werewolf is far larger than a natural wolf (due to the larger human body mass that's being converted) without it sounding stupid. I think I did well, yeah?

"I don't think it's wild."

Alfred looked up to Yao, who was frowning as he looked into the room where the wolf was currently resting on the old mattress they'd put in. "You mean the wolf?"

"What else would I be talking about?" The Chinese-American man asked, glancing over to his coworker with a frown. "I'm fairly certain even you've noticed how domestic it's behavior is."

"Well, yeah, but I figured that was just the meds." The vet looked glanced into the room briefly. "But yeah, it's a bit weird that I haven't had to replace any stitches so far, considering how bad they have to itch at this point."

Yao nodded, looking back to the wolf as well. "In addition, it's bigger than any other wolf on the reserve by a good degree, even accounting for good genetics, and its body structure is just different enough that I doubt whatever this guy is is even the same species."

"So he's not from the reserve?"

"If he was, one of the rangers would have found records of him by now." The ecologist tapped his fingers against the table, frowning. "If I had to guess, he's some sort of wolfdog. Couldn't tell you how many generations, but definitely at least two."

Alfred leaned back to stare at his friend, unmasked surprise on his face. "You think he's someone's pet that wandered onto the reserve?"

"It's the most likely thing I can think of, unless you have a better idea."

"Nah, just saying it's weird." The blond shook his head. "You think the owner's put out a missing ad for them yet?"

Yao snorted. "It's illegal to own or breed them in most of the country, and even here you'd need a license just to own it. I doubt anyone wants to get fined for allowing their potentially wild pet to wander off and breed, so I doubt you'd find anything even if you asked around."

"That's a shame," Alfred admitted, frowning a bit. "Bucky seems friendly enough, though I get why the regulations are there."

"Bucky?" Yao asked, a tinge of amusement in his voice as he looked back to the other man.

"Hey, it fits him," The blond defended. "And no one else came up with a name for him."

"Fair enough," The ecologist conceded, though Alfred could still see the grin linger for a bit before he turned back to the wolf, his frown returning with the gesture.

"So what're we gonna do with him? We obviously can't release him into the wild, and I don't really want to see him put down." Alfred stopped with an embarrassed expression, quickly continuing. "I mean, we already put a lot into helping him recover, and it'd really suck if that all went to waste-"

"Alfred," Yao interrupted. "Don't try to pretend this is about anything other than your soft spot for animals."

The veterinarian just shrugged helplessly, grinning weakly at how easily he'd been read. "Just saying."

The older man huffed. "I wasn't planning on suggesting euthanization anyways; if he'd displayed any sort of aggressive behavior I'd consider it, but frankly I've met family pets that are more likely to attack someone than him."

Alfred sighed a bit in relief. "What were you thinking then?"

Yao hummed in thought, looking back to the newly dubbed Bucky. "We have that tour group coming in a few weeks, right? If he's still proven to be unaggressive around people we could probably get away with using him during the talk about the wolves on the reserve."

"Wow, that'd be actually pretty neat." Alfred grinned. "Obviously we can't let anyone near him just in case, maybe train him to a leash or something? But if it went well-"

"We could probably get legal ground to get a licence to keep him around." Yao grinned as well. "Of course, we'd need to chip him so he can be found if he tries to wander off."

"Psh, that's like five minutes work tops, Bucky won't notice a thing." The vet laughed quietly. "Ya know, I already wanted a dog, though this isn't quite what I was expecting."

"Don't get too attached," Yao warned. "I'd hate to see him go as much as you, but if he's more wild than he's shown-"

"I know, I know, the risk wouldn't be worth it." Alfred looked away with a frown. "We should probably talk to the others before we finalize anything, since they're going to have to get used to him being around if he stays."

"Just what I was thinking. Bucky will need to get used to them as well, since you're the only person whose scent and presence he's been exposed to in any significant amount so far."

"Man, I hope Toris'll be alright; I think he might've said something about big dogs before, but I don't know if it was something serious or not."

"Guess we'll be finding out soon, hmm?"

"Definitely." Alfred paused, grinning. "Never pegged you for a guy with a soft spot for cute things."

Yao flushed, giving the other a fierce look that was laughed off as he snapped back, "Aiyaa, don't you dare tell anyone!"

"Sure thing," The younger promised, crossing his fingers behind his back and wondering what he could bribe out of Erzsebet for the tidbit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Original Notes: "Actually spent most of today wondering how the fuck I was gonna keep Alex around, then a stray thought about Yao questioning Alex's lineage suddenly gave my the out and information I needed to go 'I have a freaking plot hoorah!'
> 
> So yeah, I have a plot, hoorah! Let's celebrate with another chapter. Also, for information on wolfdogs, I just sorta wiki'd it. I can't say it's 100% accurate, but, well, werewolves. Forget complete accuracy of any sort."
> 
> Also, putting in Yao's canon love for cute things. So easy. Ahaha...


	4. Pride Cometh

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, still a bit meandery, I guess, but it gets more into Alex's mindset and I suppose acts as a hint of preview for things to come? You'll see later, promise!

"C'mon, Bucky, it's just a collar, it won't bite."

Alex growled, giving the idiot who thought he would willingly put on any such thing a hard look. Did he look like some pet dog that needed to be taken on walks? Not to mention that ridiculous name-

"C'mon, I know you want to get out of this room for a bit, but I can't let you just wander around on your own." Alfred tried to persuade. It was actually sort of amusing how hard he was trying, and he did have a point in that it was really fucking boring in the room, especially since the 'toys' that were supposed to entertain him were for  _animals_ , not people.

When the vet tried approaching again, Alex held a growl in his throat but didn't bear his teeth. It got the message across without being threatening (too much, anyways) and gave him more time to think. What was more important, his short-term dignity or his long-term knowledge of how to get out of here and also grab something palatable to eat on his way out?

So far pride had been winning, but he didn't think he could last much longer on dog food before going a bit crazy. The brief ache in his leg reminded him that he had at least another two weeks of recovery ahead, and that was enough to decide that if nothing else he still needed to know the way out of the building so that once he'd recovered he could leave and not become some nature show for people.

Huffing to show his discontent, he finally allowed Alfred to approach and put it on, grimacing at what it represented but seeing no other option. He shook off the hand that attempted to scratch behind his ears after that, making it clear he wanted the tour to go as fast as possible so he could just get the damned thing off that much sooner.

Alfred laughed, giving one last pat before getting up and heading over to the door. "Fine, c'mon then, you grump."

They only spent a few minutes outside the room, most of that being complemented by a fairly pretty young woman who he soon learned was 'Erzsebet', one of the people who had found him out in the woods. If he had been human, he supposed he would have begrudgingly thanked her, but as he was allowing her a minute to pet him before shaking her off seemed to settle it well enough.

Well, that and the conversation he'd gotten to drop in on.

"Wow, you really must have been someone's pet before all this, huh?" She'd asked while her hands had been at the base of his neck. "You're way too friendly for some wild animal."

' _Yeah, I noticed, thanks,'_  Alex had replied mentally, though he didn't think he was all that friendly.

"Isn't he, though?" Alfred grinned, one hand still resting on the edge of the collar just in case. As Alex had found out, the blond was a lot stronger than he looked, making the gesture much more potent that he would otherwise consider. "It's too bad we can't find the owner, but I guess it's a gain for us."

"No kidding; he'll be a huge hit with the tour group, won't he? I don't think most people have even heard of a wolfdog, much less seen one."

' _Tour group? What tour group?'_ Alfred hadn't mentioned anything about that, which was a shock for the talkative man. ' _And wolfdog?_ '

"If Yao gives the okay. We're still trying to see if he can handle being around a lot of people at once, because we don't want something making him anxious enough to try to defend himself."

Erzsebet looked up to Alfred, a light smile on her face. "Ah, so that's why he's being taken on a walk today. I don't think any of the others are here right now, though, so he'll have to wait a bit longer to meet everyone else."

Alfred shrugged with the arm that wasn't holding onto Alex's collar. "It's fine, we'll take it slowly so he's not overwhelmed. I'm really hoping this works out and we can get a license to keep him, because otherwise…"

It took a few seconds for Alex to realize what he was implying, but the way both of their lips and faces dropped when they glanced at him made a chill go down his spine.

' _If an animal proves too aggressive to keep captive and too dangerous to release, there's only one thing left to do with it...'_

Thankfully neither of them noticed his brief swallow, and the fur disguised any sort of paling he might have been going through at the realization that this wasn't going to be quite as simple a recovery as he'd hoped. ' _And here I was worried about it being too peaceful.'_

During the walk back he started thinking hard, not even noticing the collar being removed as he settled thankfully down onto his makeshift bed. Though it chafed at his pride to let himself be ordered around, there seemed to be no other option in order to keep the people here happy and thus himself happy.

' _Only two weeks,'_  He told himself, forcing the worry down so he could rest. ' _Only two weeks and one dumb tour group and I'm out of here for good.'_

Forget being gracious, he was definitely taking at least a full meal from the kitchen on his way out. It was a petty theft, but it was enough to take his mind off his possible future - or lack thereof.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel so bad for Alex in this chapter, but he still doesn't have the full story on what's going on so of course he's gonna see everything the wrong way, poor guy. But it won't be long before he can be human again, and that's when things are gonna get really good.
> 
> Sometimes it's difficult restraining myself from just instantly writing all the important scenes I see in my head, but I'd just end up with a bunch of disjointed drabbles and less motivation to link them up into a coherent story. Ah well.


	5. Guest Starring

Two weeks was a long time to pretend to be nothing but a harmless mutt, especially with the food and shots and exams that came with it. The only upside to the whole situation was that the damn stitches had finally come out, his leg finally back to normal if still a bit bare of fur. Alex had also gotten to learn the layout of the building, meaning after this little show he could get out of here for good.

The day seemed to stretch on longer than all the rest of his time there together, his body itching to get out of there and get back to his life…

Not that it was much of one, considering. Did he even still have his job? His apartment? He grimaced, an uncomfortable expression but more than fitting considering this entire mess so far.

A small part of him would admit, though, that he'd miss Alfred, just a little bit. Asides from a few people who visited sporadically at most, the most companionship he'd known was the pest that was somehow his friend of sorts. Alfred had, in three weeks, provided more human companionship and conversation, however onesided, then he'd gotten in the previous three months.

It was nice, for someone as shy as he was. It was a shame they hadn't met under different circumstances, but he didn't think they'd really have a chance to cross paths again after this.

His restless pacing came to a halt as he heard the now-familiar footsteps approaching. Shaking himself off, he turned to wait for the door to open, thankful that they were finally going to get this over with.

"Hey there, Bucky." Alfred greeted, smiling as always. "Looks like someone's excited to get out of here."

' _You have no idea,'_  Alex huffed, allowing the collar and leash to be slipped on before keeping pace out of the room and into the main hall.

Even before they went through the front door, he could pick up the noises of people shuffling around outside, not to mention smell them. Stopping a moment to mentally prepare himself - he wasn't much for attention even at the best of times - he startled a bit on feeling Alfred's hand behind his ears, before relaxing into it.

"Nervous, buddy?" The vet sympathized. "Don't worry, I am too. But it's only a dozen people, nothing too crazy. We'll get through this and it'll all be good, yeah?"

' _Right,'_  Alex bobbed his head slightly, more for himself. ' _Just this, and I can get out of here the second everyone's asleep and go home.'_

With one last pat, Alfred turned and pushed the door open, the two of them stepping out into the afternoon warmth. Alex made it all of three steps before one very familiar scent reached his nose, prompting him to stare with some horror at the last face he wanted to see here.

"Ah, there's our guest star," Erzsebet's voice cut through his surprise, making him shake his head and put on his best resigned face as he walked the rest of the way to the small stage set out on the grass. "As you can see, he's pretty big, but I promise he's entirely friendly."

Alex didn't need to imagine the snort of amusement from the brunet lounging at the back of the crowd, and sent a look at him which promised pain later on. Of course his luck would have to be this bad, wouldn't it?

"He's a lot bigger than what a normal wolf would be, because he's a wolf-dog hybrid. As you might guess, he has both wild and domestic lineages in him, though in this guy's case he's taken to the domestic side."

She didn't even need to bend down to scratch him behind the ears. "Now, in most places it's illegal to breed them, though here you can if you have the right license. I wouldn't recommend it, though - most wolfdogs tend to be a lot more wild and aggressive to people, and you can be fined heavily for allowing them to get loose and potentially breed."

Alex winced slightly, ever so grateful that that had been overlooked during his stay.

The rest of the talk drifted away from him and towards other things, allowing him to catch the eye of the brunet while the crowd was distracted. ' _I swear to god, if you say anything...'_

He got a grin and a wink in return, making it clear that he'd gotten his message across, or at least that his ass of a friend was too busy being entertained to speak up. Later, though, Alex knew he could expect endless ribbing for being shown off in some nature awareness skit.

A familiar sigh escaped him. ' _God damnit, Tommy.'_

Of course, if that had been the end of it that would be one thing, but of course Tommy just had to push his luck when Alex couldn't do anything about it. The brunet, still looking far too amused, put on his most innocent expression while raising his hand. "I was just wondering, were you guys thinking of breeding him?"

Erzsebet blinked. "Not right now; we don't have a licence for it, anyways. Why do you ask?"

Tommy shrugged. "I was just thinking he looked lonely and could use a friend is all."

' _I really, really hate you,'_  Alex glared at his friend, who gave him another innocent look with an extremely smug grin hiding just underneath.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You don't understand how fun this was to write. Tommy is just such a shit I love him so much ahhh. And yeah Alex you tell yourself you'll only miss Al a little bit, you just tell yourself that. (Tommy is 2p!America, btw.)
> 
> We're getting into some plot, if you can believe that. This ain't a short little series, I'm in it for the long haul. Plus we need time for Al and Alex to properly meet and get used to each other.


	6. Nightly Escapades

Alex never thought he would be so relieved to taste the cool night air in his life, but here he was, letting his bare, human feet dig into the soil while he basked in the slim moonlight. And it hadn't even been a challenge - he just walked out of there pretty much the moment everyone had fallen asleep. Doors might have kept a wolf trapped, but a human? Pfft.

(He refused to remember that before he'd realized the door wasn't locked, he'd spent a good fifteen minutes trying to work his way out through the just-too-small window that allowed fresh air to circulate in the recovery room.)

He stretched his muscles out a bit, the faint ache from transformation lingering as it always did. He'd soon change back to give himself better speed and protection on the way back to his house, where hopefully he could call up Tommy and his workplace and try to salvage his job and his dignity.

But for now, he was just enjoying not being stuck in a dull recovery room. God, it'd been even worse than his stay in the hospital as a kid - at least there he'd been able to convince the nurses to bring him books to read. Animals, sadly, did not get the same treatment.

A nearby tree branch cracked, causing his head to snap in that direction, relaxed mood instantly gone in favor of gritty alertness. He was about to chastise himself for reacting to his wolfish instincts when he noticed there was something actually up in the branches, annoying grin and all.

"Tired of being a housepet already?" Tommy teased, grin wider as his friend bristled. "I thought you were having fun."

"You know damn well I had no way of getting out before then," Alex told him, unamused. "And why are you here?"

"Me? I'm here to rescue you, of course." The brunet fluttered his lashes mockingly.

"I got out just fine without your help." Alex looked his friend over, frowning. "Did you  _fly_  here?"

"Naw, I just walked several dozen miles ta come visit you." Tommy rolled his eyes. "Yeah, I flew here. And yeah, I stayed low so no one could see me, I'm not stupid."

"Could've fooled me," Alex muttered.

Part of him felt bad for Tommy, who'd been stuck with the mixed blessing of being a werebat. On one hand, it meant being able to fly and navigate at night far better than a werewolf like him, but on the other, he was stuck with the false stigmas for 'vampirism' that had invaded media, including the bloodsucking and hypnotising and whatever other powers people seemed to think they had.

(Though Alex had to admit the idea of the stringently vegetarian fruitcake of a fruit bat attempting to get blood out of someone was hilarious.)

Tommy still heard, flipping him off before hopping down from his branch, hidden wings slowing his descent until he landed safely before melting away. "So you planning on leaving soon, or do ya want to freeze your dick off first?"

The werewolf only grunted in reply, shaking himself out before briefly focusing. In less than a minute he was a wolf again, looking remarkably unimpressed as he waited for his friend to change over as well so they could leave. Tommy started to do the same, but barely had his ears started to shift than the two of them as one sharply turned to their side, noticing the dim light just in time to jump away before the spell hit.

"Fuck, hunters!"

More like hunter, since no spells came from any other directions. Both of them recognized the face as one of the others in the crowd earlier that day, making Tommy swear out loud while Alex had to resort to growled insults. ' _Just my fucking luck, isn't it?'_

He really, really didn't like hunters, because they were always crusading against anything supernatural that they couldn't control themselves. They used the excuse of weres being mindless killers all the time, ignoring the fact that most weres were more than happy to live their innocuous lives within the greater human population.

That also made it a lot harder to deal with him, as severely injuring them would mean more fuel for the crusade, while leaving them alone meant they'd just come back for more. He'd had to move several times already because of them, and on top of the recent injury he'd recovered from and his newfound freedom being eaten away at, he was really starting to wish he didn't have such a strong moral compass.

At the least, they could knock the guy out cold and make a break. With any luck they'd be gone before he woke up and alerted whatever friends were in the area. Whether packing up and leaving their apartments was possible was yet to be seen, but with his recent luck he wouldn't count on it.

' _Fuck my life,'_  Alex complained to no one, focused on dodging spells and traps as he closed in on the hunter. One spell managed to glance across his back, his nerves there alighting with pain and pulling a snarl from his throat as he tried to ignore it.

Suddenly the world was brighter, briefly startling him before he realized it was from the building maybe a hundred yards away from their fight. They'd woken somebody up, possibly from a stray spell shaking the building even if they made no actual noise. They needed to get out of there fast-

The hunter was already running, but when Alex went to follow his back flared, causing him to drop with a wince. Tommy had stopped to help him up, only running again when the wolf snarled in warning. The other were had barely made it a dozen feet, though, before a gunshot rang out, the bullet barely impacting right in front of him.

Alex winced as Tommy stopped, throwing his hands up. He couldn't blame his friend - he'd be just as freaked out about a shotgun nearly blowing his feet out from under him - but on the other hand he really wished it hadn't been Basch on night duty.

The Swiss-American approached, looking thunderous as he kept the gun trained on Tommy. On reaching Alex he bent down, pressing into the injured spot and causing the wolf to wince, though not just from the pain.

' _Damnit, and I was so close to freedom, too...'_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, I have to admit, this chapter was almost entirely about working the line 'fruitcake of a fruit bat' into it somewhere. The fact that it was plot relevant is only partially relevant really. But not to worry - soon we'll be getting into the much more serious plot at hand, and the actual romance type issues.


	7. Questioning

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poor Alfred needs to check his voicemail more often in the mornings. Also, we're almost to the end of the first part, which means we can get to the actual main story and whatnot.

Of everything Alfred had expected after the first successful showing of Bucky, coming in the next morning to an unhappy team definitely wasn't one of them.

"What's wrong?" He'd asked on taking in the atmosphere, utterly confused as to why everyone looked so frustrated.

"You didn't check your voicemail?" Yao asked, frowning.

"No, I was late getting up so I sorta rushed out the door…"

The other people in the room exchanged glances.

"Bucky was almost kidnapped last night," Basch eventually told him, sending his mind reeling.

"What? Why? Do you know who did it? Is Bucky alright?"

Erzsebet sighed deeply. "We don't know, we have one of the people who tried, and Bucky seems to have some bruising on his back, but other than that he's fine."

Alfred closed his eyes and breathed a sigh of relief. "I'll go check on him first, then. Did you get anything from the person you caught?"

"Not much, just that he wasn't working with the other person who ran off and that he wasn't trying to kidnap anyone." She shook her head. "Don't know why he thinks we'll believe that when we caught him over Bucky."

The vet shrugged, equally confused, before tilting his head as a thought struck him. "You think he's the guy who left that trap in the woods?"

Basch and Erzsebet exchanged surprised looks before looking back to him. "We didn't think about that," She started "but if he or his friend are the same people-"

"-And I know the guy we have at least was in the tour group, which is how they could've found out-" Basch continued when she paused to think.

Yao grimaced, finishing the train of thought for everyone. "Then he'll have more serious charges than just attempted kidnapping."

Alfred frowned thoughtfully. "Well, at least he wasn't successful, right? And with any luck the other guy won't come back or he will and we'll be able to catch them."

Yao smiled lightly at that. "That's true, I guess. Speaking of which, don't you have a patient to check up on?"

The vet's eyes widened. "Shit, I should go do that."

Despite their reassurances, he hadn't really been sure how Bucky would be until he practically burst in, the dog's head rising from the bed on his abrupt entrance and looking fairly alright except for the bit of singed fur along his back.

"Hey there, Bucky." Alfred greeted, relief flooding his veins as he moved over to check over his patient. "You really had some night, huh?"

The wolf huffed, passively accepting the petting and wincing when Alfred's hand moved further down to the injured spot. Careful to avoid causing more pain, he moved the fur away to take a look, wincing at the nasty bruise forming. "Whatever did that packed a wallop, huh bud?"

Bucky seemed to grumble in agreement, not moving when he got up to go grab some numbing ointment to rub into the area. However, it wasn't where it should have been, making him frown while he searched through the other cabinets for it.

"I know I put it back in its usual spot…" The vet frowned, closing another set of doors. "Did Toris move it again?"

Behind him, a door creaked; he turned just in time to see a tuft of fur disappear through the doorway. Immediately forgetting the ointment, he scrambled out after Bucky, cursing himself for forgetting to close the doors in his panic. "Bucky, get back here!"

The wolf, however, seemed to ignore him, making his way down the hall and stopping at another door, pawing insistently even as Alfred caught up and grabbed him by the scruff. "What has gotten into you?"

The door opened, revealing a surprised Erzsebet. "Alfred? I thought you were with-"

"Bucky, no!" Ignoring the two of them, Bucky pulled himself away from the vet and squeezed past the ranger's legs to get into the room, halting whatever conversation was going on inside.

"I don't know what's gotten into him," Alfred apologized as he entered, stopping when he saw exactly where the wolf had led himself to. "Is that-"

"The kidnapper." Basch rubbed his forehead, whether at being interrupted or at trying to process the fact that Bucky had very firmly planted himself next to the brunet in the chair, letting himself be pet by the guy who by all accounts the wolf should be avoiding.

"Yeah, because clearly the mutt I was trying to kidnap would come all this way just ta be pet," The man snarked, before looking to the dog with less amusement. "It's your fault I'm stuck here, by the way."

Bucky huffed, shoving at the brunet with his nose before settling down at his feet.

"He seems awfully familiar with you," Basch finally commented.

"He's my friend's pet," The man responded, leaning back in his seat. "And before you ask, what was I supposed to say earlier when you'd just brought up that it was supposedly illegal to own him without a license?"

"You were still here late at night acting suspiciously."

The man groaned. "And I told you, I overheard that other guy mention something about finishing the job, and I didn't think you'd believe me if I called and said someone was threatening to come get him so-"

"-you decided to play vigilante instead?" Basch interrupted.

"...well when you put it that way it seems like a dumb idea."

The rangers both sighed, shaking their heads. Alfred, however, was more focused on Bucky, who seemed rather interested in the whole conversation if the way he followed the speakers were any indication. He'd always been like that, the vet knew, but until that moment it hadn't really struck him how odd it was for a canine to be so attentive to a conversation when their name wasn't being mentioned.

Well, it wasn't like this situation wasn't weird enough already. Maybe some time to think would make it all clear.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And the plot ever progresses forward... not to worry, Alex and Alfred will be meeting face to face very soon! And then we can get into the business of getting those two together while also maintaining the plot and stuff. I hope you'll like the surprise characters soon to show up.
> 
> I hope everything makes sense so far! You can tell me if it doesn't and I'll try to clear it up if I can, promise.


	8. Before The Fall

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The first official meeting of Alex and Alfred! ...only not really. Whoops. At least it's funny.

Night shifts at the clinic were rarely exiting, excepting the rare intrusion by the less than savory types. The only reason they really had the shifts was because of the animals under their care, as if something happened there needed to be someone available immediately to help them or call for assistance.

Alfred really didn't mind the shifts too much, as the small bunk in the backroom wasn't uncomfortable and he didn't have any pets or significant others back at his flat in town to worry over either. Heck, Bucky was the closest thing he had to a pet, and there was no way he was taking the guy back to his place anytime soon, even without the kidnapping scare.

The kidnapping, surprisingly, was not his reason for his restless pacing; the wolf cubs were healthy enough that they were due to be released to their pack tomorrow morning, and he desperately wanted everything to go well. Was there a chance of them being rejected? What if they were sick with something he hadn't caught and they spread it to the rest of the pack?

His hand was on the door handle before he caught himself, chastising himself for getting worked up over nothing while forcing himself to sit back down on the bunk. Alfred wished he had hot chocolate or something relaxing to drink so he could just get to sleep already, but sadly their kitchen did not include those things, meaning he had to calm down the old fashioned way.

Alfred's eyes slipped shut, his breathing evening out as he allowed his mind to start to drift to more idle lines of thought. He hadn't even noticed he'd fallen onto his side on the bed until the sudden sound of a door creaking down the hall startled him into full alertness again.

' _What the heck?_ ' He didn't think he'd imagined the sound, but he wasn't sure if it was just the building settling or something else. A brief thought of ghosts sent a shiver down his spine before he firmly reminded himself that they weren't real, no matter how much of a jerk his older brother had been by telling him all those ghost stories as a kid.

If it was nothing, then there was no harm in checking it out and calming his nerves. If it was an intruder, however…

As quietly as he could, he pulled out the spare glock Basch had started leaving in the backroom in case of emergency, its weight heavy in his hands. He desperately hoped he didn't need to use it, but he had no idea what the intruder might have on them (if there was one) and he really didn't want to be unprepared.

The walk down the hall was agonizingly slow, his breath and footsteps kept as quiet as he could manage. He didn't see any lights on, but that didn't mean much, did it? He stopped by one of the doors, his ears just picking up the hushed whispering of someone on the other side…

Wait, wasn't this the room they were keeping the kidnapper guy in?

Two steps brought him just close enough to press an ear to the door, the better vantage point not picking up much more than the fact that there was in fact whispering coming from the room, and definitely from more than one voice. Alfred bit his lip, thinking hard over his options. Did he go in and confront them now, or did he wait for one or both of whoever was in there to come up so he could surprise them?

Better yet, would it be possible for him to call Basch or Erzsebet in to back him up before they caught on?

There were two phones in the building - one at the front desk and one in the backroom. He doubted he had enough time to make it all the way back to the room before the two tried to make their escape, but the front desk was only a bit further down the hall and would allow him to cover the main entrance. Of course, they could always end up using one of the back doors, but that was just a chance he was going to have to take.

He'd barely stepped away to do just that when the doorknob moved. Alfred swallowed, holding his breath as the door slowly opened, fingers gripping tight around his weapon as it opened to reveal the intruder, who stood a good inch or two over him and-

-wasn't wearing anything…?

The man's surprise didn't last long, and before Alfred could refocus on the issue at hand there was a mumbled apology and pressure on his neck-

Alex sighed as Alfred collapsed, catching the man before he could hit the floor. Tommy peered out from the room, making a face at the scene before shaking his head. "Good thing we weren't breaking out tonight anyways."

The werewolf grunted, carefully picking the vet up so that he wasn't being dragged on the floor. "I'm taking him back to his room; hopefully he'll just think this was a weird dream."

"Don't do anything I wouldn't do," Tommy waved him away, cackling quietly at the flip off he received in response.

It didn't take long to find the backroom, Alex carefully slipping him under the covers before stepping away, running a hand through his hair with another sigh. He really wished Alfred hadn't caught them, since now he was gonna have to-

-wait, why did it matter? He and Tommy were going to be gone before much longer, once their 'contact' in the police came and got them out of there. It didn't really matter what conclusions the people there came to about them, especially Alfred, so why did he even care if the guy thought he was anything other than some weird wolfdog?

Tommy's words came back to him for a brief moment before he shoved them away. The fucker had been trying to get him to 'let loose' for ages, and this was just more of his usual antics. Why they were getting under his skin now was because he was restless bring trapped in these walls for so long.

Alex turned and left the room, satisfied with his conclusion enough that he didn't do more that smack his friend upside the head once before shutting and locking the door with a bit more enjoyment than necessary.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The moment you've all been waiting for! - Only not really, because I'm a jerk. Also I am having quite a bit more fun with this story than I even imagined, and yet I'm restless because there's so much good stuff ahead and I just want it all written for me now instead of having to write it myself.
> 
> Enjoy!


	9. Breather

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes I can be really mean to Alfie... but not to worry, this is just the best way to transition into part two without leaving any huge plot threads!

Alfred was going insane. That was the only explanation he could come up with, and it wasn't reassuring in the least. How else could he explain the all-too-realistic dream he'd had last night, along with all the oddities that he'd been noticing ( _thought_ ,  _thought_  he'd been noticing)?

He hadn't told anyone what he'd dreamed about last night; he could already guess they'd agree with his own self-assessment.

Everything had been normal when he'd finally woken with the dull throb of a headache; their temporary guest had still been there, Bucky had greeted him as usual, and there were no signs of anyone having broken into or out of the building last night. Hence, he was going crazy, because normal people don't dream about naked guys creeping about in the middle of the night-

Well alright, maybe some did, but he wasn't - hadn't - been one of them before.

Which only lent further credence to his conclusion of insanity.  _Probably from the stress of everything going on recently_ , as Yao would quip in his 'I am wise beyond measure' tone.  _You should take a break, pull yourself together. You wouldn't want to risk a patient in your current state, would you?_

...it was actually rather creepy how on the spot his mental impression of the ecologist was. Then again, they'd known each other for forever at this point, so it probably wasn't too shocking all things considered.

Still, a vacation sounded like a great idea right now, and with the successful release of the pups back to their pack, there wasn't much need for him at the clinic for a while anyways. Not to mention if it was an emergency they could call him in - they did have his number, after all - so there was little guilt in the idea of taking some time off to relax.

Thankfully, Toris was more than sympathetic. "You've been working hard lately; if anyone deserves a break it's you."

Alfred's smile was a bit weaker than usual, but no less honest. "Thanks, Toris. I'll only be gone for a few weeks at most, and I'll have my cell if you need me-"

"Don't worry about it," The brunet soothed. "I can handle an emergency if it comes in - though I doubt anything will happen, to be honest. Just focus on enjoying yourself, alright?"

Alfred sighed, a small laugh escaping him. "Fine, I can do that. I still at least expect a call if anything serious comes in so I'm not too surprised when I get back."

Toris grinned, patting his friend's hand sympathetically. "I'll try to keep that in mind."

"Jerk," The blond replied. "Just remember to take care of Bucky for me too, got it?"

The way Toris suddenly bit his lip sank any sort of good mood Alfred had been holding on to. "About that…"

"What's wrong?" There was only one thing it could be, he realized after a silent second, his breath shuddering to a halt. "Don't tell me-"

"We can't keep Bucky," Toris sighed. "Our appeal to keep him didn't go through, so they're taking him to have him put down. I'm sorry, Alfred."

"But- why? He's completely harmless, we have proof of that!"

"State laws still apply; we don't have a license, so we can't legally own him, and since his previous owner let him escape…"

Alfred's head sank into his hands, palms rubbing at his eyes as it sank in that the mutt he'd come to love was just going to be put down, just like that, all because of his heritage. He felt a hand resting on his shoulders, Toris' sympathetic gaze on him.

"I'm sorry, Alfred. I know you cared about him a lot."

The part of Alfred that was still the little kid who'd always wanted a pet was tempted to scream about how unfair it was, but he swallowed it down and wiped at his face one last time, putting on a weak smile for his friend. "Can- can I say goodbye, at least?"

Toris' expression fell again. "The officer who came by to put up our guest already took him. It was while you and Erzsebet were out releasing the pups; Yao thought it'd be- easier-" He looked somewhat ashamed now. "-if you didn't have to see him go."

Not knowing what else to say, Alfred nodded, looking back to his hands and starting a long, awkward silence until his friend finally broke it with a cough.

"I wish I could see you off with better news, but," Toris hesitated. "I hope your vacation goes well."

"Thanks, Toris," Alfred replied eventually. "I'll try."

His friend gave him one last pat on the back, pressing something into his hands before leaving Alfred to his own thoughts. It was Bucky's collar, still looking as new as it had when he'd gotten it, complete with engraved name tag, less than a month ago.

Had it really been only a month and a half since Bucky had come into the clinic and his life? It was hard to believe now.

(He didn't think three weeks was going to be enough time to recover, but it would have to be, wouldn't it?)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wasn't honestly expecting to write this today considering my mood, but I got it out somehow. Maybe because the tone fits my mood or something IDK. I feel really bad for Alfred, but I know happy times are coming soon for him so it'll all be better, but still.
> 
> This is sort of the end of the first half; the second will basically all be well away from the clinic and it also gonna have the relationship buildup and the rest of the serious plot. …In all respects, it's probably been well under less than halfway, but whatever.


	10. Remeeting Again

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here's some Alex POV again to start off this next part right!

" _You know we need to stay low until they find a new place for us."_

" _I know, Tommy, I just- need to get some fresh air."_

" _More like you want to brood over blondie some more."_

Alex had not deigned to reply then, just flipping his friend off as he stepped outside and started pacing the streets, the stretch after so long nice on his legs. Of course he still made sure to keep his head low, and stayed close to the crowds so anyone who for some reason did recognize him like this wouldn't try to pull anything in broad daylight.

Eventually, even he had to rest, and as he was too far from Tommy's apartment to walk back, he figured the nearby park bench would do well enough for the moment.

The air was just starting to take on the nippy edge of winter, a soft chill that brought back memories from before he'd started living like this. The idea that there was a time where it hadn't mattered that sometimes he had paws instead of hands and feet was unreal, like it belonged to another child, another lifetime.

(Maybe it had. There was no mistaking the person he was now with that bright-eyed kid; he'd seen his own sunken gaze after one too many late shifts to ever mistake them, though Tommy rarely mentioned them, just acted slightly less assholish on those days.

What he would have done without the guy, Alex didn't know.)

His gaze wandered over the small pond, still host to several families of wildfowl who were too lazy to fly south when they could enjoy food year round from the townsfolk who still felt the need to feed them whenever they wandered by. Really, how the birds put up with some of the food they got the were couldn't even begin to imagine-

Unbiddingly, a memory of his time at the clinic came to mind, a pang of guilt with it. He really hadn't meant for Alfred to get so attached to him. To be fully honest, he hadn't expected it at all - he'd always been just a bit too imposing to most people, even if they didn't always know why. Really, he hadn't expected to start feeling so comfortable around the place either - heck, he'd started to forget about the collar of all things by the end!

(When Tommy had pointed out out, he'd been so startled to forget something like that that he hadn't even been able to come up with a good retort, just quietly removing it for the rest of their talk before putting it back on to be 'Bucky' again. He didn't think either of them knew what to say about it, really.)

And the look he'd gotten just before he'd knocked the guy out had been-

It didn't matter. Bucky was dead, he was soon to be gone, and Alfred would never know anything odd about his temporary pet. So why did he still care so much about what the guy thought?

His head rolled back, eyes shut as he tried to make sense of his own thoughts. The closest thing he could think of was that it had been such a stark difference from his usually quiet life that it'd left a stronger impression than usual, with the addition of getting almost used to a face that was genuinely happy to see him everyday-

-Happy to see _Bucky_ , not him. But god, it was hard to remember sometimes when his expressions and attitude had just been so- so-

"Cute," Alex murmured, cracking his eyes open to look up at the tree branches shading him.

Was that the source, then? A crush on a guy just because he flashed him a nice smile and a nice ass? Wow, he was getting desperate after all. Maybe he should considering taking Tommy up on those offers of nights at bars to meet some friendly faces for a bit of stress relief.

And if he was seriously considering  _that_  idea now, he obviously needed more help than he originally thought. And this introspection certainly wasn't going to do it, especially now that he'd reluctantly decided why he couldn't just get Alfred out of his mind like he should have. Crushes were seriously a pain in the ass, ulgh.

He should be getting home. Tommy wouldn't be any happier when he got back, but at least Alex would be less likely to snap at him from restlessness. That in and of itself would have made this trip worth it, even if the threat of picking up and moving still loomed over them both.

" _Three weeks,"_  He'd been told by the officer who'd picked them up - Braginsky, right? Something Russian, at least - after he'd pulled to the side to let them out. " _Time to set up your new houses and transport there."_

That seemed like ages to someone who had already had to spend a month waiting to recover before escaping. Alex liked to consider himself patient - at least, more so than Tommy - but even he had his limits, and he only hoped it'd be over fast and painlessly on everyone's part so he could stop worrying about goddamned hunters again for a while…

There was a crunch of leaves beside him, his eyes startling open as his thoughts were interrupted. Shit, he really had let himself go if he'd gotten so careless, especially under his circumstances.

It wasn't a hunter or a stranger, though, who had stopped to stare at him like a ghost. It was the last face he had expected or wanted to see, and based on the way Alfred was looking at him, he wasn't going to get away so easily.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thus begins arc two, and I think I broke every romantic cliche ever in this one chapter by actually having Alex go 'wait a second there's something off here- oh well shit then'. Okay, maybe not all of them, but one of the main ones.
> 
> I guess it's just a bit tiring to always see characters oblivious to or in denial of their feelings for pages and pages and it's like 'dude at least admit it to yourself and stop being so stupid its just a crush for gods sake.'
> 
> …does that make me a bad person for saying that?


	11. For The First Time

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alfred meets the man from his (literal) dreams.

If the day before hadn't been enough to tell Alfred his vacation wasn't going to be fun, the sound of his fire alarm going off the next morning would have been all the warning he needed that he should just remain in his bedroom until the zombie apocalypse came.

Huddling under the covers, sadly, did not make the blaring noise that had woken him at way too early in the morning go away, so with a groan he threw the covers off and made his way towards the kitchen. The not so faint traces of smoke grew stronger as he approached, carrying swears along with them.

"Arthur?" He asked as he ducked into his kitchen, coughing a bit. "When did you get here?"

"Oh, Alfred!" His older brother greeted, in the middle of beating back the last of the fire from the frying pan he'd apparently tried to soak in the sink while still hot. Again. "Sorry about this, I was trying to make you breakfast but I looked away for a second and, well, you know how the fey are…"

Oh great, his magical friends. Alfred smiled like it totally made sense for invisible little people to set people's food on fire. "Hey, it happens. You should have let me know you were coming over."

"I left a message on your phone last night," Arthur waved it off, setting the ruined pan down. "And you left me your spare key, so I decided to let myself in instead of waking you up. You looked rather exhausted when I peeked in - have you been getting enough rest?"

"Yeah, yeah, just some stuff at work getting to me, so I'm on break for a bit to clear my head." Man, could his brother go from crazy stiff to over concerned mother in just a few seconds.

The self-proclaimed English gentleman scoffed, though he looked relieved at the admission. "As long as you're taking care of yourself, then."

Alfred yawned, heading over to his cupboard to get himself and his brother some cereal. "So why're you in town? I thought you were over in England on some research project or whatever."

"What, I can't visit my brother while on break?" Arthur asked, just a touch too quickly for the younger man's taste.

"Only if you stick to coffee while you're here." The vet shot back, sitting at the table with his breakfast and pouring himself a bowlful before passing the box over.

"Rude," The elder replied, accepting the box and pouring his own bowl before sitting down in the other other seat in the kitchen. They lapsed into an agreeable silence only broken once by the fire department, which Alfred had to reassure that there was no fire and that it was just his brother's cooking skills and that no it wasn't going to happen again I promise officer.

" 's not my bloody fault," Arthur muttered under his breath as Alfred returned, swatting at the air over Alfred's food with a scowl.

"Just let it go, Artie," Alfred commented, setting his food to the side. "Remember what happened last time you tried to convince someone about that?"

The flush he got as Arthur deliberately turned away was enough to get Alfred laughing, the Briton deliberately denying needing to be bailed out all the while. Eventually he settled down into light chuckles, wiping away the tears that'd come from laughing a bit too hard.

"So, did you want to do something today or what? I didn't really have any plans, so-"

"Actually," Arthur interrupted, looking a bit sheepish. "I was hoping to catch up with Lukas and Sorin, since they're in the area as well. Bit of a reunion and all that."

"Oh, right, sure." Not that Alfred had been starting to look forward to a day with some family, since they rarely saw each other these days, but- "Maybe later this week then?"

"Of course," Arthur smiled, ruffling his younger brother's hair despite the squawk of protest he received for it. "I'm going to head out for a bit then; you stay safe and have fun, alright?"

"I'm not ten anymore, Artie, you don't need to treat me like a kid." The American rolled his eyes, shaking his head as his brother just waved farewell as he stepped out the door again.

And with that silence fell on the apartment, not counting the sound of the heater humming as it kept the building toasty in the late autumn morning. Alfred hadn't really noticed how quiet it was in the morning here, being so used to getting up and rushing to get to work in the morning, but now that he had nowhere to be it struck him just how little he actually stopped and noticed these sorts of things.

When was the last time he'd just gone for a walk around the area, actually? He couldn't recall off the top of his head.

"Whelp, it's better than nothing," Alfred muttered to himself, pushing away from the table as he went to actually get dressed. If nothing else, it'd wake him up enough to think about what he actually wanted to do on his break (besides moping around, which he was avoiding by deliberately not thinking about anything related to- nope nope not going there).

He exhaled sharply as he stepped outside the building, glad he'd thought to grab his coat as he started making his way down the street. Vague memories of a nearby park directed his walk, figuring if he was going to burn energy it should be somewhere that wouldn't be crowded with people all getting to work. Thankfully it wasn't too far, allowing him to make his way in with little trouble.

It was quiet here, but with the background noises of both the local wildlife and the town beyond it wasn't too bad. To amuse himself he started deliberately walking through the small piles of leaves here and there on the path, grinning at the crunch under his shoes. A few minutes into his private game he turned a corner, spotting someone that looked vaguely familiar as he stepped right into another pile.

The other man's head came up, looking right towards him and causing Alfred to exhale sharply as he recognized the face that had haunted his dreams for the past three nights.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Basically introducing Arthur and showing Al's side of things before the all important firstish remeeting. Which is totally a term. But yeah hopefully everyone is looking forward to where this is going and will like what I'm planning in terms of plot and relationship development.
> 
> Do you like the dynamic I have with Arthur and Alfred? IDK, it just felt right while I was writing this so I was curious.


	12. Slip of the Tongue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm just mean to Alex, aren't I? Just throwing him from one issue into another.

After a lingering stretch of eye contact, Alex closed his eyes, going along with the dim and childish hope that if he denied it ever happened, maybe Alfred would as well and they could both go on with their lives. Judging from the hasty footsteps that skidded to a stop in front of him, that wasn't going to happen.

"You're real," Alfred whispered breathily.

"I'd hope so," Alex commented, cracking his eyes open again to look at the other man. "Otherwise I'd be paying bills for no reason."

"I- what?" The vet seemed a bit thrown by the slight snark to the reply, but shook his head and continued on. "Nevermind, I just- who are you? Why were you in the complex?"

Shit, this was the last thing Alex wanted to deal with. Keeping a carefully neutral face, he responded, "Complex?"

"The one in the park!" Alfred fumed.

The were pressed his lips together. "Can't say I've ever been there."

"You were talking with the kidnapper dude!"

Alex wondered how much farther he could push before Alfred gave up or started getting genuinely pissed off. "And why would I be doing that?"

Alfred threw his hands up. "I don't know! Maybe you're his partner or something and you were trying to break him out or something."

"Considering I don't associate with criminals, I don't see how any of that's likely."

"You-" Alfred closed his eyes and exhaled, running a hand through his hair while he seemed to recenter himself. "I know I wasn't imagining things. I'd never seen you before then, so I couldn't have made you up, the glock was in the wrong place, and you had Bucky's collar on."

Shit, he hadn't counted on Alfred noticing that bit of guesswork. "You do realize you sound crazy, right?"

Alfred laughed mirthlessly, looking directly at Alex. "How do you think I've been feeling for the past week?"

Alex paused, actually taking in the stress underlining the other man's eyes. Had… had his leaving done all this? He'd told himself that there was no way Alfred would care that much about Bucky, but…

"I don't know what you've been through recently, but it probably hasn't been too great considering you could hide a truck in those bags," Alex replied slowly. "I'd say the best thing for you right now is you buy yourself some chamomile tea, crawl in bed, and just ignore the world for a while."

Alfred sighed, looking like all the fight had fallen out of him at once. "That's probably for the best… sorry for bothering you about all this."

"It's fine, I've had bad weeks too," Alex replied, smiling a little as he got up. "If it counts for anything, I hope you feel better soon, Al."

Figuring he was now in the clear to leave, Alex turned with a small wave farewell, taking several steps before-

"-I never told you my name."

Shit. "What?"

When Alex glanced back Alfred was frowning at him. "You called me Al. I never told you my name."

"I said 'pal'." Alex quickly covered, wincing internally.

The pause before the reply was just enough for Alex to kick himself for the slip, his relief barely restrained when Alfred's frown lightened. "Right, sorry, just thought…"

Rather than risk another slip, Alex waved it off, turning back to his calm retreat from the vicinity. The most important part about running was not letting them know you were running, and until he was out of the park and back to Tommy's apartment he was not going to let anyone know he wasn't completely calm.

The exit wasn't too far from here, if he recalled correctly. Just another couple bends in the path and he'd be back among civilization-

His head twisted just slightly towards the sound to his left, his steps faltering as his mind took the half second necessary to figure out what had caused the disturbance in the trees. That moment nearly cost him, as he'd looked away from the side the attack came from, leaving him much less time to respond to the strike from his blind side.

' _Hunters here of all places?'_  He growled, ducking and blocking and retaliating where he could. ' _We're in the middle of the city for fuck's sake!'_

Not to mention he was the only one here; what did he expect to gain from engaging a fully grown were in good health one on one? There's no way they'd let a hunter young enough to make such a mistake out on the field on his own-

He choked back a scream as something slammed around his throat, liquid fire instantly starting to spread from the points of contact. A fucking were collar, silver laced for just enough pain to knock them out without killing, and he'd fallen for such a stupid trap. Even the secondary pain of his knee hitting the ground barely took from it, and it was only with great effort that he forced himself to memorize the smug pale face now grinning down at him.

"And here I thought you'd be a hard catch," The man commented, yanking at the collar. "Maybe your friend will be more interesting."

"Don't waste your breath," The man behind him commented coolly. "The sooner we get it out of here, the sooner it can be disposed of."

Disposed of. God, Alex hated hunters. At this point his eyes were barely open, sheer stubborn tendencies keeping him aware of his surroundings. It was the only reason, in fact, that he was at all aware of the two people holding him captive suddenly startling and turning to the side, only for one of them to abruptly leave his narrowing field of view courtesy of a fist to the face.

The last thing he could recall was a panicked voice and the feeling of his body rocking forward now that the supporting pull was gone, the ebbing pain rocking him into unconsciousness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So between starting the mer story and writing my exchange gift, this sorta fell to the wayside for a bit, whoops. I also spend most of the writing period bitching over how the heck I was supposed to make everything fall together so Alex would have to tell Alfred about the whole thing before finally settling on this.
> 
> Not entirely happy, but it's done, so hoorah I want to sleep.


	13. Remember Me?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And finally Alfred gets an explanation of what's going on!

Alex woke up biting back a scream, nightmares of being burned alive fading away as he took in his surroundings. He was in a bedroom he didn't recognize, he couldn't smell anything familiar, and the collar around his neck-

-wait, the collar was gone! His hands, shaking from the memory of recent pain, carefully traced along his neck, feeling out the burns where the silver had pressed into his skin. He'd apparently been out long enough that they had stopped hurting, but they didn't feel like they were healing yet, so it couldn't have been more than a few hours at most.

The only thing he could guess at was that someone had saved him from the hunters, though whether the person who'd saved him knew anything about the circumstances behind the attack was another question entirely. Really, he'd been far too lucky so far; his luck just had to run out at some point, and at this point he was more than eager to get out of here before that could happen.

' _Tommy's going to murder me when I finally get back,_ ' He mused, eyes sliding shut briefly while he tried to gauge his strength. Silver was nasty to weres, not just for blocking their shifting capabilities, but also for absolutely draining their energy through forcing their regeneration to overreact, especially when enhanced by the right magics.

And whoever had made that collar was no newbie. He could still feel his arm shaking from the effort he'd put it through just to confirm the collar had been removed from his throat, and he probably wouldn't make it a block on his own without falling on his face and once again becoming easy bait for the hunters who seemed to have a personal vendetta against him.

' _Joy, more bedrest_ ,' He sighed, coughing a bit and wincing at the ache that went through him at the action.

What were the first things he needed in order to catch himself up to the situation at hand? Use the bathroom to see what runes had been in the collar, actually use the bathroom, and call Tommy, preferably in that order.

Right, there was a bathroom to his right side from what he could see from the bed; he could definitely do this. Gritting his teeth, Alex pushed himself up from the bed, taking deliberately long breaths to counter the stabs of protest in his limbs. Feeling like he was walking on nails, he stumbled over to the wall beside the bathroom door with a final thump against the plaster. He slowly navigating from there into the room itself, catching himself on the sink before looking into the mirror.

God, he looked like shit.

Shaking his head mentally to get rid of the thought, he looked down to the part of his reflection flashing back the burnt in runes on his throat, running a finger along them as he did his best to flip them back around mentally.

' _Anti-shifting, Mental suppression, Passive Draining. Classics._ ' Ultimately these were just burns; no hunter could feasibly expect the symbols on his neck to actually stop him in any way, even with magic being applied, as there was no enhanced metal to supplement the spells.

(Not to mention his own innate magic - the same magic that let him and every other were shift without the massive pain and disorientation that one would thing came with the package - would fight bitterly against any hunter cocky and/or stupid enough to try it.)

Alex rubbed at his face, exhaustion setting back in just after this short a jaunt. He still needed to find a phone before he forgot, lest Tommy start a manhunt around the city and get himself into even more trouble for his sake-

"-what are you doing out of bed?"

The Canadian's head snapped up, blinking uncomprehendingly as Alfred quickly walked over from the other doorway to grab his arm and start dragging him carefully back towards the bed. "Why are you here?"

"Because Erzsebet isn't back from work yet, her apartment was the closest to the park, and I really wasn't sure how I was going to explain what happened to you to the police when I didn't even know myself even though I saved you from those crazy people." The last comment was punctuated with a frown that said enough about the American's current mood.

Alex groaned as he was pushed back onto the bed for more than one reason; he'd been deliberately trying to keep Alfred out of his mess of a life, and now he was stuck here with someone who obviously wasn't going to accept a hand waved excuse as an answer this time.

"Look, can I call my friend first? He's probably about ready to blow a gasket worrying."

Alfred's lips pressed together, doubtful, but he reached over to grab his wireless, handing it to him wordlessly. Plugging in the number, he listened to the ring once, twice, then-

" _Yeah, who is this?_ "

"Take a wild guess."

" _Alex? Where the fuck are you? You just stormed out and then never come back, and now you're calling from some random person's phone?_ "

"I was attacked; this guy saved me. I'm as safe as I can be right now." Alex closed his eyes and sighed. "Look, you just stay low; they know our faces, and if they can't find me-"

" _-They'll find me next. God damnit, I told you it was a bad idea-"_

"I know, I get it, I have the fucking burns around my neck to prove it, okay? Next time  _you_  can spend seven weeks trapped in one small room after another without going stir crazy."

" _Fuck you. Are you sure you're safe?_ "

Alex looked up to Alfred, who had yet to make a comment during his conversation. "As sure as I can be."

A sigh came over the line. " _Look, just- can you get me an address or something in the near future? I want to know I can find you if shit goes south, or at least drag trouble away from you._ "

"I'll try. Try not to work yourself into a knot worrying, got it?"

" _Says the guy who keeps trying to get himself killed; One of us has ta be the smart one, and you sure as hell haven't been it lately._ "

"Ass."

" _Pheh, you love me._ "

"You keep telling yourself that."

" _Fuck off, and get some sleep; you sound like shit._ "

"Will do." Alex huffed as he ended the call, letting the phone drop to the bed as he rubbed at his face again, resisting the urge to fall back and do just that. He was exhausted, no doubt, but Alfred looked ready to throttle him if he didn't start getting some answers right away to mull over. "So?"

"What?" The American asked, rolling back on his heels impatiently.

"Ask your damn questions already before I fall asleep here; I know you have them."

Alfred shut his eyes, took a deep breath, exhaled, and opened them again before sitting down on the edge of the bed. "Were you at the complex?"

Alex bit back an instinctive denial. "Yes."

"Why?"

"Because I was stuck there."

Alfred frowned. "Stuck there?"

The Canadian sighed deeply, looking straight at the vet. "You haven't guessed at all yet?"

"I don't even know what I'm supposed to be guessing at here," Alfred replied exasperatedly.

"Right, you probably wouldn't at that." Alex tilted his head back to think for a second, closing his eyes and nodding quietly to himself before returning his attention to the comment. "Here- this look familiar?"

He pulled up his pant leg enough to show the pink scar remnants along it, alongside a few tiny pink dots that could have been stitch holes.

Alfred frowned in thought, but shook his head as he looked back up. "I heal animals, not people."

"I'm well aware of that," Alex replied, pulling it back down before pulling his shirt up and twisting enough to show off the still healing burn. "How about this?"

"-no?" He sounded less sure this time, his expression starting to shift as he put pieces together.

Alex hummed, and decided he had enough energy for at least this last bit. He closed his eyes, focusing what he had into the change - but only just a bit, leaving his jaw and skull feeling a bit off as it settled into something in between. His eyes opened, face set into his best bored expression.

"How about this?"

At least there was some small gratification in the absolute gobsmacked face Alfred was now sporting, eyes darting from the ears to the jawline to his eyes and through the cycle several more times. His face paled and hands tightened around the sheets, the rest of his body rigid as he looked Alex straight in the eyes again.

"...Bucky?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And this would mark (here on AO3) the last of the chapters I have over on ffnet so far! Hoorah, we're all up to date on this fic! Just two more and then I can theoretically abandon that site if I ever need to.
> 
> Updates for this might be sporadic since I've sorta been bummed over the lack of popularity of my amecan fics and such lately. :c


	14. Friendly Chat

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This week has just been Hungary week, hasn't it? I don't think that's really a huge issue in anyone's books, though...

Erzsebet honestly didn't know what to expect when she got home late that evening. After Alfred's panicked call asking if he could borrow her guest room for a bit, she'd wondered if his own apartment had suffered some sort of accident, but she'd driven past it on the way home and it'd looked perfectly fine. He hadn't sounded sick or anything either, and she figured if he was injured or something he'd do the sensible thing and go to the hospital instead of her place.

That left his motives a mystery, something she wasn't quite used to with him.

(Alfred was a good friend, really, but he didn't have a lying bone in his body, and he wore his heart on his sleeve. Not that those were in any way  _bad_  traits, but he  _was_  fairly easy to read.)

Wish a sigh she shook her head, figuring she wouldn't get any answers waiting outside her own apartment. Kicking off her shoes in the front hall, she shut the door quietly before turning to head towards the back, only to stop at a familiar face slouched over her coffee table in the kitchen.

"Alfred?"

Alfred jerked up, blinking tired eyes as he emerged from wherever his mind had drifted to. "Liz?"

"You okay?" Erzsebet asked, resting a hand on his shoulder. "You look exhausted."

"I-" He took a breath, running a hand over his face. "I'm fine, just a bit of a rough day."

"I thought you were supposed to be avoiding those while you were on vacation," She teased lightly, rubbing small circles on his back.

"I know, I know," He smiled weakly, cutting off a yawn. "But some things sorta came up, and just- yeah."

"Seriously, you look like you're about to keel over or something," The Hungarian told him, turning his face towards her. "Why don't you go curl up in the guest room for tonight and you can head back to your place tomorrow?"

"Can't," He replied, this time unable to hold back a yawn. "Alex's there."

"Alex?" She frowned, trying to think of anyone she knew with that name.

"A friend," He told her, before his eyes widen briefly. "I promise he's fine, really!"

"Relax, I know you wouldn't bring anyone too crazy into my house," She told him, grinning at the pout she received at that statement. "But you still need to get some sleep, got it? I'll pull out the couch and some sheets for you, but you need to shower; you smell like you've been working out."

Erzsebet frowned, leaning closer to look at his neck. "Did you get into a fight, Al?"

He grinned weakly. "Maybe?"

"Please tell me I'm not gonna have police in my house tomorrow morning," She groaned.

"No police, promise; I don't think those guys want to be on the radar."

"Mmm, you'd better hope so," She helped him to his feet, directing him towards the shower before turning to her linen closet. By the time his bed had been set up, the shower had shut off, Alfred's hair still soggy as he wandered back into the living room wearing only his boxers.

In a few minutes he was out, his clothes dumped into a nearby chair. Erzsebet sighed, putting his glasses carefully onto the kitchen counter before turning her gaze towards her guest room.

"Alex, huh?" She muttered, sipping at her drink thoughtfully. Had Alfred made a new friend over the last couple of days?

Well, there was only one way to check, really. Finishing her glass of juice, she set it down before making her way over to the door, opening it slowly to avoid disturbing whoever was inside. Giving her eyes a minute to adjust to the dark, she made her way over to the bed before-

-ah. Wasn't  _this_  interesting?

"I know you're awake," She told him, tapping a foot and crossing her arms.

His eyes opened fast, face carefully neutral as he stared back at her. "Shower woke me."

"Mmm," She replied neutrally, gaze floating down to his neck as she frowned. "I thought you were leaving town."

"It takes fuckin' time to set up new houses and identities," He grumbled, pushing himself up. "I wasn't exactly expecting to be attacked in public in broad fuckin' daylight."

"Is that what happened?" Erzsebet wondered. "No wonder Alfred didn't take you to the hospital then."

"Lucky me," He sighed, rubbing at his neck. "He knows now."

"I told you not to get him involved!" Erzsebet snapped, scowling heavily.

"I wasn't going to, but after he saved my life from those goddamned hunters again, he pretty much demanded answers, and I was too tired to come up with anything plausible to throw him off."

She sighed, rubbing at her face. " _Baszd_ ," She swore quietly. "No wonder he was so out of it then."

Alex's face softened a surprising amount. "Yeah, I don't think he took the Bucky revelation all that well. Didn't say anything after I showed him, just sorta sat there for a minute all wide eyed before he left."

"It's not like most people would react much better to knowing things like werewolves and the supernatural actually exist."

"True," He replied, looking back to the doorway. "...can you tell him I'm sorry?"

"What for?" Erzsebet asked.

"Ruining his happy memories of Bucky."

Her eyebrows shot up, taking in his brief downcast gaze and tensed shoulders before sighing. "I think you're underestimating him, but I'll do it if it'll get you to stop making that face."

Alex's entire posture became defensive, shooting her a glare at her unapologetic smirk, but she'd accomplished her goal of distracting the poor bastard from his thoughts, which was a win in her book.

"You're an ass, you know that?" He replied after a bit.

"Join the club," She shot back, shaking her head. "And don't make me regret helping you out."

"Wouldn't dream of it," He muttered, hands clenching around the quilt on the bed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And another timely update from yours truly! This chapter came out a bit differently than expected, but I like how it turned out. (I noticed this week has somehow become Hungary week. Not that I'm complaining – she's a p cool character who doesn't get a ton of notice outside of the PruHunAus triangle.)
> 
> And oooh Erzsebet knows about Alex! I wonder how... (well I mean obviously I know, but you guys'll have to wait a bit longer to get more into her backstory.)


	15. Issues of Trust

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes you just need time to think for yourself, but family can get in the way of that.

"Are you sure you're alright with keeping him here?" Alfred asked his friend, glancing in the direction of the guest room from the front door.

"I'll be fine looking after him for a few days," Erzsebet promised, smiling reassuringly. "As long as he doesn't push himself too much, I can hand him back over to his friend by Saturday."

"Right, right," The blond agreed, rubbing at his hair sheepishly. "Thanks again for the help."

"I would have liked some more warning, but I'm not gonna kick someone out on the streets for no reason." She lightly bumped his shoulder with her fist. "You just focus on keeping yourself safe, alright? Let me know if those guys show up again so I can kick their ass for you."

"Will do," Alfred laughed, feeling some of his tension leave at the light mood. "See you later."

"You too, Al." She smiled again, waving lightly before shutting the door.

Alfred's smile sank, a heavy sigh escaping him as he turned to head for the stairs down to the street. Rubbing at his neck lightly to avoid pressing on the bruise that'd turned a nice shade of blue and black overnight.

He felt bad for leaving Alex without saying anything, but even after a restless evening and morning of thought he still was finding it hard to reconcile the tired stranger he'd met in the park (and that one night) with the relatively huffy but friendly mutt he'd cared for then lost. Had Bucky been nothing but a lie then, or was Alex still keeping things back?

Most importantly, how much did he really want to know?

He was still reeling from both the knowledge that the supernatural (at least in some aspects) wasn't so out there as he'd believed and the knowledge that  _he'd been lied to_  - no matter that Alex had obviously good reasons to keep his head low around people he didn't know. It reminded Alfred too much of how his older brother had always lied to scare him, to keep him safe, to keep him from knowing just what the other got up to in his free time.

He kicked at a rock, watching it clatter down the sidewalk and into a storm drain.

Speaking of his brother, Arthur obviously had reasons to be visiting besides a sudden desire to see his younger brother again. "Friends" - he hadn't even realized Arthur knew anyone in this town, as far as it was from their hometown in Virginia. Just how much did the man travel for his job?

Alfred already knew the other wouldn't answer any questions about it, only making his frustration with the situation all the more palpable. Taking a breath, he decided he would just let it lie for now in order to not get into a fight and ruin any chance of a decent afternoon together.

By the time he reached his own apartment, he had a smile again, almost convinced today would turn out alright after all. From the looks of things, Arthur hadn't tried cooking anything else since yesterday in the building, which was always something to celebrate. Taking another breath at his front door, he pressed down on the handle and opened it, only to be immediately assaulted.

"Where have you been?" Arthur demanded, causing Alfred to wince as he jostled several sore spots at once.

"I was over at a friend's house - they got hurt and I wanted to make sure they'd be alright."

"And what about you?" He looked his younger brother over with a frown. "Were you hurt? Do I need to get you to a doctor?"

"I'm fine, honestly," Alfred waved the other off, resisting the urge to rub at his shoulder. "What's with all the fussing?"

Arthur stepped back, sighing. "When I heard you got into a fight, I wanted to be sure you hadn't gotten hospitalized or... worse."

"Where'd you hear about that?" Alfred frowned, since the only people there had been those weirdos, Alex, and himself as far as he was aware.

Arthur muttered something about the fey, causing Alfred to almost start rolling his eyes before it struck him that, fuck, the guy might actually have been telling the truth, because were faeries really any weirder than werewolves? Still, the idea that Arthur might be talking to such beings - might have them watching Alfred constantly - made his shoulders tense, eyes unconsciously darting around as if he could somehow glimpse the invisible little creatures now.

"Look, what matters is that you put yourself in danger for no reason," Arthur shook his head, expression serious as he turned back to his younger brother. "What were you thinking, getting involved?"

"The guy hadn't done anything wrong," Alfred protested, starting to grit his teeth defensively. "What was I supposed to do when I saw him get attacked by two weirdos?"

"I don't know, maybe leave?" Arthur asked rhetorically. "How could you know he wasn't dangerous and they were protecting themselves?"

"Because he wasn't doing jack shit besides leaving when they jumped him?" The vet shook his head. "I talked to the guy; he's-"

 _A liar. A werewolf. Tired._  "-nice."

"Oh really? And you know this just from speaking with him for a few minutes?"

Alfred started to retort, only for Arthur's bracelet glinting in the light as he brought his arms around to cross his chest, foot tapping impatiently, to catch his attention. Hadn't he once mentioned that was silver?

Wait. Wait a second. Did he-

The vet's gaze narrowed. "You're trying to control who I'm friends with again, aren't you?"

"It's not like that!" The older man denied, scowling. "I'm trying to protect you from danger."

"If you haven't noticed, I'm not a little kid anymore," Alfred bit out. "I can take care of myself, and I don't appreciate being treated like I'm incompetent."

"You aren't incompetent," Arthur tried to comfort. "I'm just warning you to be careful, alright? You don't know what some people could be hiding."

He knew. He fucking knew, and was trying to keep Alfred in the dark. He didn't even have time to stop himself before retorting, "You mean like you?"

Before his older brother could regain his footing, the younger continued, spitting out the words with all the anger starting to boil in his gut. "Maybe I'll trust your judgement when you stop lying to me all the time, Arthur. You don't exactly have a good track record so far, so it might take a while, though."

Without giving the other a chance to respond, Alfred turned on his heel and marched back to his room, slamming and locking the door before sliding down it, rubbing at his face and wishing his life hadn't become so complicated over the past few days. He'd just wanted a break, not all this!

After a few minutes of self pity, it eventually struck him that if Arthur really knew, then he might try something, meaning Alex would be in trouble again. Pulling out his phone, he hesitated just before dialing the number to Erzsebet's apartment, gaze sliding up to look around the room.

" _The fey told me, I swear!"_

...no, calling wasn't a great idea, but he could still text her.

_Hey, is evrythng alright over there_

_Yeah, why?_

_Got into fight w arthur / he knows i helped alex & is pissed_

_thought you two fought usualy_

_yeah but it was bad today_

Alfred paused, biting his lip before continuing.

_just be careful / i dont want anything happening to you guys_

_dont worry abt me / i can defend myself / or alex_

_i know / just worried / be safe_

_you too_

He leaned back against the door again, shutting his eyes and sighing. He was still angry with Alex, though not as much as he was with Arthur at the moment, but at the same time he didn't want anything bad to happen to the guy. If what he'd been witness to so far was anything normal for the guy's life…

(Alex had just let him leave after telling him his big secret. Erzsebet had even told him, over breakfast, that he'd apologized, though not for what.

Alfred still wasn't sure how to respond to that.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Second update for the month. Everything seems dead set to just make Alfred's life more complicated than it needs to be. And yeah, if you haven't guessed yet, it's gonna be a LONG while before Alex and Alfred start heading towards anything resembling romance. The two just have too many trust issues right now to enter a healthy one, and I refuse to promote an unhealthy one in any fanfic I write.


	16. On Guard

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tommy has unwelcome visitors, and we finally get things from his POV.

"Stupid hunters," Tommy grumbled, slumped over on his small kitchen table. "Stupid Alex."

Seriously, things had been just fine until his friend had gotten caught in one of those stupid hunter traps, and now both of them were gonna have to move to another part of the country and start over. Even better, his friend had gone and gotten himself injured  _again_ , and wouldn't be back for nearly a week, leaving him on his own with annoying as dicks hunters specifically looking for them.

What a fucking month.

He sighed, shutting his eyes and willing away the headache as best he could. The headache, of course, didn't care, leaving him even more annoyed at nothing and everything in particular.

What was worse was that he knew that if he'd been stuck in Alex's place for the last month, he probably wouldn't have held out nearly as long when it came to getting out and stretching his legs. Alex, also, would have been better about keeping him inside, even if it ended up having him pinning Tommy to the ground until he relented.

(He really was a shitty friend, wasn't he? Not even trying to help keep Alex safe when there was danger afoot.)

Tommy opened his eyes at the knock on his apartment door, pulled from his thoughts with a leery frown. Grabbing his baseball bat, he made his way slowly to the door, grumbling mentally about his height as he lifted on his toes to look through the small peephole.

"Are you going to let me in?" The man outside asked, sounding unimpressed with Tommy's lack of response so far.

"Sorry I wanted to be sure it wasn't those guys," Tommy grumbled, opening the door while letting the bat flip over to rest on his shoulder.

Basch raised an eyebrow at his weapon of choice but didn't comment, stepping inside and letting the brunet close it again before leaning back against the wall. His rifle was indeed much more threatening to possible intruders than what Tommy had at hand, but it'd been a gag gift that'd ended up surprisingly useful, and it wasn't like the were could afford much else.

"Sensible, then," The Swiss-American replied, glancing around the place carefully. "How many windows do you have?"

"Three," Tommy pointed vague in the direction of each. "Kitchen, bedroom, guest room."

Basch nodded, pulling out a sharpie and making his way to the kitchen. Raising a skeptical eyebrow, Tommy followed after, watching as the man grabbed one of the hand towels, wiped off the sill, and started writing out a complex sentence of runes along the edge of the window.

"Sharpie?"

"Lasts longer than chalk, and can't be erased by a clever hunter with a bit of wind or water magic to his name." He finished off the sequence, running a finger along the ink while muttering. The runes glowed briefly before settling back down, Basch humming briefly before turning and heading towards the bedrooms next.

Once Basch finished repeating the procedure in both rooms, he made his way back to the front door, sketching out an even longer series of runes along the side with the doorknob before stepping back with a satisfied expression. "That should confused them if they try sending any spirits or spells in first."

"Sounds good," Tommy rolled his shoulders, taking his bat and resting it against the wall before flopping gracelessly back into his chair. "I can't imagine you're here out of the goodness of your heart, though."

"Trust me, I'm not," Basch took the seat across from him, resting his rifle against the table despite the disapproving look. "But my partner was insistent, and I didn't feel like arguing with her over this."

" _Whipped,_ " The werebat cackled, ignoring the sharp look he got for it. "Is Alex alright?"

"Last I heard, he's fine," The Swiss-American shrugged, continuing to look unimpressed while the other man calmed down.

Tommy sighed, relaxing just a bit. "That's something, at least. Hopefully the idiot won't get himself into more trouble before we skip town."

"Funnily enough," Basch replied, lips quirking up just a hair. "He said something similar about you."

"Hey," Tommy started, offended. "I'm not the one who got himself injured by freakin' hunters three times in the span of a few months."

"Fair enough," The other man conceded, looking amused now as the were bristled some more before taking some breaths to calm down.

"Fuckin' asshole," He muttered, sighing. "Don't even know why I worry about him sometimes."

"Probably the horrible disease known as friendship," Basch muttered under his breath, too quietly for a human to pick up from that far.

Tommy, however, wasn't human.

"Oh my god, you made a joke," The Native American wondered, grin stretching as he held back his laughter. "You  _are_  human after all."

The Swiss man swore, giving him a sharp look as if daring Tommy to bring it up to anyone else. Tommy remained unimpressed, muffled laughter escaping him as his shoulders shook.

Basch eventually gave in with a sigh, shaking his head and looking like he'd rather be anywhere else right at that moment. Tommy would have been offended, but to be honest the fact that the guy was clearly embarrassed was just too great, especially after the scary hunter routine he'd pulled when Tommy had been caught trying to get Alex out of the complex.

His laughter died off abruptly, grin falling away as he tilted his head to the side. Basch startled at the shift in mood before frowning as well, grabbing his rifle but not lifting it quite yet.

"I think I hear something," Tommy's face furrowed in concentration, his ears shifting out into large bat ears as he tilted his head back just a bit. "...are you sure you got all the entrances?"

"I got the windows and the door," Basch reminded, before hesitating, going over all the other routes. "Wait, do you have-"

"The fucking vents," Tommy swore, jumping from his seat and grabbing his bat as he glanced over to the grate in the corner of the kitchen. "Please tell me you're prepared for this."

The Swiss-American nodded, waving for the other to throw over his bat. "I'm just putting some fast runes on it."

"Fine," Tommy snapped, tossing it over and keeping an ear on the rattling of the vents while the other hastily scribbled out some runes on the makeshift weapon, grabbing it out of the air when it was tossed back. "Not how I wanted to spend my afternoon."

"Trust me, I know."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact – even though I don't use Swissy much, the fanon portrayal of him as nothing but a guntoting hick who's obsessed about his sister and shoots anyone who looks at him is really fucking annoying. It's one of the reasons I decided to use him in this fic; poor guy needs some positive attention for once.
> 
> Hopefully this chapter answered a few questions, or at least doesn't give too many more.
> 
> (Hey, two updates today! Not too shabby for me, ahahaha.)


	17. Little Talks

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you want a working relationship, communication is important. Also trust, but they're working on that.

Of all the people Alex expected to see on Saturday morning, Alfred was the last of them.

He'd recovered enough to wander around the small apartment, making up for his semi-residence of Erzsebet's guest room by doing whatever chores she hadn't gotten to yet. She'd raised her eyebrows at it but didn't complain, which was good for him because the repetitive and simple tasks gave him something to do to deal with the restless boredom from, again, being cooped up.

The universe just loved fucking with him, didn't it? Alex swore once he reached the next town he was going to spend a week out in the woods just stretching his legs before looking into jobs and whatever else was needed to keep up a 'normal' lifestyle.

None of his plans involved nosy wildlife veterinarians, though, which was why he was surprised to open the door and see a sheepish blond waiting there instead of a brunet hauling groceries. "Alfred?"

"Hey, Alex," Alfred greeted, glancing between the Canadian and the hallway. "Is Liz in?"

"She went out for groceries," Alex replied after a second, hesitating before adding. "Do you want to wait for her inside, or…"

"No! I mean, yes, but- well, I mean, I was actually hoping to talk to you, if that's okay?"

The were's eyebrows rose, but he opened the door further to allow the other man inside. "That's fine with me."

Alfred ducked his head as he stepped in, waiting for Alex to shut the door before he asked. "So, uh, have things been okay here?"

"...I guess," Alex shrugged after a bit, frowning. "Tommy got into a bit of trouble, but he's fine now. Was swearing a storm about his kitchen last time I spoke to him, though. I've just been here, helping out and waiting; nothing exciting."

"Ah," Alfred nodded, rolling on his heels as he fell quiet.

As a human, Alex did not, in fact, have any enhanced senses or superstrength or whatever abilities were generally granted to werewolves in popular fiction, but he was still observant enough to notice that his companion of the morning wanted to talk about something but didn't know how to bring it up. Figuring it'd be easier on everyone involved if they got to the point sooner rather than later, he decided to ask his own questions. "And you?"

"Me?" The American echoed before exhaling. "Well, my brother's come to visit, and he's being, well, him. Which means he's trying to control my life again."

The Canadian raised an eyebrow.

Alfred continued, sighing again. "He's not a bad guy, he's just… he still sees me as a kid sometimes, ya know? I'm really annoyed when he keeps secrets from me for my own good, but I can't really hate him, in the end. He's family, so…"

Alex didn't reply, just tilted his head in thought while not breaking eye contact. Only once Alfred started squirming under the look did he realize he was staring, allowing him to back off and reply. "Had a cousin like me. Year younger, fairly quiet. Haven't seen her in ages, or any of my family, really. But I remember she would always stick by me, even when I was getting into trouble."

The were had a hint of a smile as he shut his eyes and shook his head. "I guess she was the closest thing I had to a sister. Wasn't enough of an age difference to really make it a huge deal, but I sorta felt responsible for her and made sure she didn't get hurt too often."

"Huh," Alfred replied after a bit, looking much more thoughtful. "So the werewolf thing is inherited?"

"Mhm," Alex nodded, leaning back against the wall. "It's never been a curse, at least as far as anyone I've known is aware. We've just gotten a bad name because of a few serial killers who also happened to be weres, not to mention some religions seem to think we're abominations for existing and act accordingly."

The vet dipped his head again, refusing to look Alex in the eye. "I'm sorry about freaking out before. I was just-"

"Don't," Alex interrupted. "I hardly expected you to take it well, especially since I lied the first few times you tried to get information from me. I'd've been more concerned if you'd accepted it right off the bat, since that would've meant you were already exposed to the supernatural."

"I think my brother tried, but he always sounded so kooky when he talked about his faerie friends that I sorta blew the whole thing off until, well-"

"I told you point blank it was real and then proved it?" Alex huffed out a laugh at the other's sheepish expression. "Faeries, huh? I haven't seen 'em, but I've heard they're extremely picky about who they show themselves to, so don't blame him for you not seeing them."

"I guess," Alfred shrugged, looking a bit uncomfortable again before moving on. "What was it like, growing up like you did?"

Alex shrugged as well. "I didn't know until I was ten why I wasn't allowed to change forms in front of the people in town, but otherwise I spent my free time running around and basically having as much fun as any kid could have while being homeschooled through primary."

"Ah," Alfred nodded in though, tilting his head. "That sounds… normal."

"Just because we aren't quite human doesn't mean we do weird things," Alex rolled his eyes. "We just want to blend in and be left alone, which is apparently too much to ask for sometimes."

"You mean the hunters?"

"Mmmph, but not just them," Alex shook his head. "Could you imagine the chaos that'd come up if the public ever knew about us? We'd be hunted down for experimentation and extermination in days, if not hours. Trust me, we'd all like to believe otherwise, but the media would whip people into a frenzy, and by the time cooler heads could call for peaceful talks, innocent people would be dead from the paranoia and witch hunts."

"Why don't the hunters just do that, then?" The American wondered, before frowning and shaking his head. "No, that'd be dumb, no one would believe them without proof."

"That, and there'd be backlash against them too for having magic. They might want to if it'd get rid of us, but they aren't dumb enough to risk their own necks just to drive us even further underground." The Canadian grimaced at the thought.

"Well, you can count on me to keep quiet, at least," Alfred promised. "I mean, I'm still annoyed, but I get it, so I forgive you."

"That's good," Alex repled, letting a grin reach his lips as he relaxed. "Does that include the breakfast burritos I stole from the minifridge?"

"That was  _you_?" Alfred looked so offended at that that Alex couldn't help but laugh under his breath, grinning more when the vet smacked him in the chest for the horrible crime of stealing a few meals.

"I'll pay you back for them later," The Canadian promised once he'd gotten over most of his amusement at how easy it was to tease the other. "I just needed something different from flavored dog food all the time."

Alfred grumbled some more but looked considering enough to mark it as another small victory. It was surprising to imagine his morning would be going this nicely, but Alex wasn't going to complain.

(The other man made a surprisingly nice conversationalist once he'd gotten past the initial distrust. Hopefully he'd be up for more before Alex and Tommy left for good. Perhaps over dinner, even?

...nah, that was hoping for too much, there. This was enough as is.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm making my way towards the main action of the fic at last, which should help out with the wishywashy path I've been taking this fic so far. It's hard trying to write a romance that isn't focused on the romance, and though I'm gonna work hard to complete this fic and make it good, I'm probably not gonna try again for a while at least.


	18. Normalcy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alfred has a few hours of normalcy in his life.

Alfred felt some of the tension and worry of the past week fade away as he settled into his seat, grinning at the coworkers and friends he hadn't had a chance to speak to since he'd had his worldview brutally torn from under him. Basch and Erzsebet had been supportive even if they hadn't known quite what was going through his head, but Yao and Toris didn't know about it, as far as he was aware, and to be honest he didn't want to drag them into the muddled mess his life had become as well.

Venting, on the other hand? That was something he could still do.

That wasn't exactly the primary reason they'd gone out to dinner the day after his more open talk with Alex, but they listened to each other's complaints all the time, so it would all be fine.

"Things haven't been too rough at work, I hope?" Alfred asked, glancing over his menu before looking back to his friends.

"Thankfully," Toris replied, setting his own menu down with a smile. "We just checked in with the pups, and they've been growing up nicely."

"That's good," The blond sighed in relief, glad to know that that much at least had gone as well as hoped. "What about you?"

"I sent in the latest census of the area," The asian man replied. "All the predator species have had population growth since last year, with a slight but safe dip in respective prey species. Overall things are looking good, short of a disaster in the area."

Alfred nodded, figuring that'd be the case. "Sounds good."

"What about you?" Yao asked after a brief lull in conversation to give their orders.

"Me?" Alfred mulled over how to reply for a few seconds, drawing thin lines of concern across his friends' faces. "Well, my vacation's been.. interesting so far."

"Your brother?" Toris asked knowingly, shrugging with a helpless smile when Alfred's gaze turned to him. "Erzsi mentioned it the other day in passing."

"Yeah, he decided to drop in for a surprise visit," The younger man shook his head with a sigh, looking down to the table as he remembered their fight. "He's being, well, him I guess. Got into a fight, but we eventually made up. Apparently he's been visiting friends while I'm out and about."

"I've seen him," Yao groused, looking thoroughly displeased at the mentioned event. "He and his friends almost got me in trouble at the grocery store when they got into a fight; I could hear the resemblance to you even a few aisles over."

"Hey, I'm not that loud," Alfred protested with a laugh. "And besides, he's been in England so long the language has infected him, so he sounds way different from me now."

"Of course, Alfred," The brunet comforted. "Did anything else exciting happen?"

Here the vet hesitated again, wondering just how much to mention about his new and odd… well, friend, he supposed. "I met a new guy; sorta quiet, but nice. His name's Alex, and, well, we've been chatting, I guess?"

"Oh?" Yao asked, eyebrow raised. "When was this?"

"About a week ago now?" Alfred frowned then nodded. "Yeah, met him at the park, we chatted a bit, then he almost got mugged so I had to save him, and… well, we've been talking since. Even though it's got Arthur's panties in a bunch, but that's not exactly new."

The two gave him long looks before glancing to each other and sighing. "You just can't have a relaxing vacation, can you?"

"At least life stays interesting?" Alfred shrugged, deciding to move on before they asked anything else about the were. "How've your families been?"

As Yao started gushing about his son's recent accomplishments in school, barely interrupted by the arrival of food, Alfred found a satisfied smile settling onto his lips. After a long, long week of craziness, this was just the sort of normalcy he needed to really set his thoughts straight.

(Well, not that Alex wasn't normal under all the weirdness of his life, but… well…)

By the time they finished eating, Yao and finished gushing over his family in favor of helping Alfred tease Toris about how the brunet still hadn't pulled out the ring and proposed to his girlfriend of three years, Natalya. To his credit, Toris maintained his stance that he would propose when the time was right and not any sooner, which he eventually admitted would be soon, possibly during their anniversary dinner coming up in a few weeks.

They left the restaurant satisfied, Alfred humming merrily as Yao and Toris debated whether the news report for rain that evening was true; the clouds looked threatening enough, but it didn't quite feel like it was destined to break, leaving the two at a friendly impasse.

He glanced to the movement in the corner of his eyes, expecting to see a stray. He'd barely had time to register the threat before they'd struck, his friends collapsing right before his fading vision, his last sight the same two pairs of boots he recalled from nearly a week ago stopping before him.

' _I'm sorry,'_  He numbly thought as he faded out of consciousness, unable to remember just who it was directed to.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bit of a transition chapter whoops, but finally getting into the last part of the fic so it should be done in maybe eight or so chapters? Ahha guess it depends on where the plot goes from here I suppose – I haven't been plotting too far ahead with this fic ngl. Overall I suppose this hasn't been my best fic, but it's been interesting to write and I should at least finish it even if its not great so I can move on to other things, so that's what I'm gonna do.


	19. Emergency Stations

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A day can go from good to bad really fast...

"Are you sure you'll be alright for the next week?" Erzsebet asked.

"Yeah, I'm not planning on any other adventures before your guys get the paperwork done," Alex replied, seated across from her in the living room. "Besides, if I leave Tommy on his own for much longer he's probably gonna throw a fit and get his ass handed to him by that friend of yours."

"I wouldn't know that," She smiled slightly. "I like to believe Basch has a bit more self-control than that, though."

The were shrugged. "I still owe him an apology in person, so if nothing else I want to get that out of the way before we make the move, otherwise the trip won't be nearly as manageable."

Erzsebet was about to reply, but paused as someone knocked frantically on her door. She certainly hadn't been expecting anyone at this late hour, and her partner would have called ahead, so who…?

"I know you're still there! Open up!"

Pressing her lips together tightly, she grabbed her side holster and kept it close as she walked over to the door, even though she had a very good idea of who it already was. "And you are?"

The man waiting there was bristling like a cat, though he was also breathing a bit heavily, like he'd run most of the way here. "Arthur Kirkland Jones, and before you ask, yes I'm related to Alfred, which is why I need to see that freeloader you're putting up with for him  _now_."

She raised an eyebrow unimpressed by the threat. "And why should I do that?"

"Because he and his coworkers just got kidnapped by those same freaks who attacked your friend a week ago, and I know he knows who they are!"

There was a dead pause as she felt the world become icy cold around her, grip tightening around her gun as she stared Alfred's brother down. "They were what?"

Alex almost slammed into the wall behind her in his own panic, only able to guess his pale expression when Arthur turned on him with a fierce scowl, only to be interrupted by a fast, "What did the two look like?"

"You should know," The man gave him a disbelieving look. "They were both wearing those red and black uniforms with the cross at their hips; one had silver hair, the other one brown."

Erzsebet and Alex swore at the same time.

"You, stay here." She directed to the were, turning on her heel to give him a pointed glare. "We both know this is a trap set for you, so stay out of the way while Basch and I extract them."

"You two think you'll be able to handle it on your own?" Alex scoffed. "They know who they're up against at this point, so if they're willing to break their own group's rules and involve unaware civilians, you know they won't be forgiving to who they see as traitors, retired or not."

"I know the risks," Erzsebet countered. "Which is why it's safer when we don't also have to worry about you two being injured or killed, especially in front of said civilians."

The were moved to reply but instead grit his teeth together, eventually grunting out a "fine" while turning away. She didn't care if it pissed him off to not be involved; she wasn't going to deal with some harebrained heroics in the middle of her own attempt to get her friends and coworkers out of this mess alive and intact.

She turned back to Arthur, who looked ready to demand information she wasn't interested in divulging now or really ever. "You, get back to Alfred's apartment and wait. I'll call you once I get him out of there, and then you can come see him and assure yourself he's okay."

With that the door slammed shut, Erzsebet sprinting to her room to drag out the equipment she hadn't had to don in years and make sure it was all still in working order, because she was gonna need all the help she could get. Speaking of which-

"Basch," She spoke up as soon as the line connected. "Those idiots captured Alfred, Yao, and Toris in order to try luring us out. Get your gear and meet me by the park."

" _Got it."_

She set the phone down and turned to the door, where Alex was waiting, fingers twitching impatiently. "We'll bring them all back safe, alright?"

He scowled and ducked his head briefly, exhaling all at once. "You'd better, or I'll kick your sorry ass myself."

She laughed humorlessly. "You probably won't have the chance if things go wrong."

"Then you'd better get going," He nodded out towards the front door, gaze rising back to hers and making the same quite demand her own mind was giving her.

' _Don't fuck this up.'_

"Stay out of trouble," She repeated, walking past him and out the front door, sparing only one glance to the man who hadn't taken her advice and left.

"Unless one of your fae friends is going to help me track your brother down, leave. I'm not dragging a civilian with me into a trap, and I'm not going to save your ass if you do something stupid."

Arthur gave her a long look, fists clenched tight. "Bring him back."

"You don't need to tell me twice."

He nodded and let her walk past, gaze following as she ran down the stairs and out across the twilight-lit streets.

One thing was for certain - Erzsebet was not going to fail her friends again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Getting I suppose closeish to the end? Or climax at least since this is where all the exciting and dumb stuff I don't really have fully planned out yet happens. I should probably get to that soon. More Erzsebet featuring here! And surprise, Arthur is not in fact a hunter of any sort, because as I'd established they only work in pairs so whoops.


	20. Patience, Lupine

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Patience is a very finite resource around these parts...

Tommy sighed in frustration, watching his friend brood at the one table that had survived the battle in his apartment and knowing exactly what was on his mind. "Look, I know you wanna go after blondie, but we both know the whole thing's a trap for us."

"I know that," Alex sighed, closing his eyes and exhaling sharply. "Why do you think I'm still here?"

The brunet shook his head, walking over from his seat against the wall to stand next to his friend. "Then stop brooding over it - seriously, it's like you're pining or something."

The werewolf made a face before shaking his head. "Don't read into it - I just owe him, not to mention it's my fault he's even caught up in all this."

"Which wouldn't have happened if you'd lasted a few more weeks," Tommy pointed out.

"Fuck it, I know that too - you don't think I wouldn't take it back if I could?"

"If you can't change it, then why are you worrying about it?"

"I-" Alex grit his teeth together before sighing and sagging back in his seat. "I don't want someone to die because of me, alright?"

Tommy sighed, sitting down next to his friend and resting a hand on his shoulder. He'd never been a great comforter at the best of times, but the intention usually came through. "Trust me, if those two friends of his are anywhere near as competent and pissed as they seemed, blondie and his friends won't even have time to be afraid before those douchebags get their asses handed to them."

"Yeah, probably."

After a minute of awkward silence after that mumble, Tommy decided to switch tactics. "You want dinner? Might take your mind off of things for a bit."

"Sure, sounds good." Alex made a face. "Have something with meat in there, please."

"Yeah, yeah, I know," The werebat huffed, pushing himself up from the couch. "Freakin' carnivore…"

"Vegan," Alex snapped back good naturedly before Tommy passed through the doorway into his small kitchen, going through what food he still had and determining what would work out to feed them both.

It was almost a shame he was what he was - if he'd been fully human, Tommy would have considered pursuing a cooking degree, because it was rather relaxing for him. Not to mention it meant he wouldn't have to play nice to shitty assholes who went into department stores and made more work for the people there just because they could.

(He wasn't bitter, not at all, really.

...okay that was a total lie.)

It wasn't that he was unhappy with being able to shapeshift - he enjoyed having wings, even if he couldn't risk nighttime jaunts too often - but with them always having to keep an eye out for hunters and generally drifting from place to place, it was hard maintaining a solid education or job for long enough to count for anything. Even online courses could only teach so much… not that he had too much access to those, either.

Maybe he could look into something temporary in the next town?

...well, he'd see. On a different note-

"Hey Alex, you alright with penne?" He called out, waiting for a response and frowning when nothing came back. "Alex?"

He stepped back to peer into the living room, swearing when no Canadian was made apparent by the action. Why did Alex have to be so fucking stubborn sometimes?

Tommy almost slammed the door on his way out, hoping he wasn't too late to keep the harebrained moron from getting himself killed.

~0~0~

Several blocks ahead of the brunet, Alex maintained his fast walk, doing his best to remember the way back to Erzsebet's place. He needed the freshest scent he could find, and since he obviously couldn't start from Tommy's place in that form lest his friend catch him in the act, this was the next best thing.

It'd only been two hours - that was enough time to catch up, right? And if he were lucky they wouldn't even see him - he just wanted to be there just in case… well…

Alright, so he wanted to be the one to get Alfred out of there, but he wasn't interested in dealing with the bitching from everyone he'd get if he got caught before he could manage that. Was that really that much of a crime?

(Well, he was already due for an earful and then some from Tommy later - maybe if he made it a full set they would drown each other out.

...Or maybe they'd just gang up on him. Yeah, better to lie low and wait to see if he could help out just a bit.)

He felt a hand on his arm and instinctively twirled and grabbed the offending appendage by the wrist, expecting it to either be Tommy or one of the hunter and blinking in confusion when it was neither. Then he felt the palm of his hand sting, and he swore and released Alfred's brother while shaking it out. "What are you doing here?"

"I could ask the same," The shorter man asked, scowling up at him. "You still didn't explain to me who those people were, you know."

"They're hunters," Alex replied dryly, tired and not eager to beat around the bush. "They hunt things they feel don't deserve to exist alongside 'normal' people, like me."

He held up the burnt palm to make his point, Alfred's brother raising a hand to his bracelet before letting it drop again.

"Then why involve Alfred?"

"Because some hunters don't have issues with hurting civilians if it means getting their target."

The other man made a face but said nothing for a moment. "...why get Alfred involved if you knew this could happen, then?"

"He was the one who pushed the issue," Alex exhaled sharply. "I was going to let things lie, but he had to save my life twice, so what else was I gonna do, keep lying to his face when he knew it? I owe him a lot, and since this is my mess, I have to get him out of it."

Alfred's brother didn't reply right away. "...swear you'll bring him back safe."

"Obviously."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Starting to hit that same sort of desperation to just get it over with, just like with Hero Training. Bah, this is what I get for starting a fic with no idea what I want from it, I guess. In better news, almost done with this, so I'll be able to move on to fics I've actually plotted out so I'm not lost for most of it.
> 
> Even though it's in character for them, I always feel so bad for Tommy whenever Alex just ignores him and does his own thing anyways, like... yeesh.


	21. Too Many Questions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Toris really wanted to know what was going on.

Toris stirred with a groan, his head pounding as he slowly blinked. Had he been drinking? The last thing he remembered was… was…

...Alfred and Yao, right. They'd been at lunch. They'd chatted, eaten, left, and then… attacked?

God, his head hurt. He shut his eyes tight at a painful throb before opening them again to at least figure out where he was now. Fortunately, the lighting was dim enough to not make his headache worse, while still enough to see the room around him. The ropes he was held tight in kept him from moving too much, but he could crane his neck and see a decent amount.

For all appearances it was an old warehouse, perhaps one of those on the east end of town. It wasn't abandoned, per say - the local shops and stores would use them to hold new shipments if room was needed, and he recalled the college loved renting them out for large events - but right now there was no one there besides himself.

...no, he stood corrected, there was someone slumped against another support beam, appearing to be tied to it as well. From the dark hair draped down their shoulder, it had to be Yao. A shame he was out of reach, or Toris could have tried to nudge him awake.

Toris glanced around some more, figuring that where there were two there would be… three! Alfred was on his other side, partially hidden from view by a crate. With those two questions answered, all he really had left to wonder about was who, exactly, had kidnapped them.

He heard a groan to his right and glanced back over, seeing Alfred's legs shift as he started to come to as well. He debated the merits of staying quiet in case their kidnappers were still here versus trying to see if Alfred was alright when the option was taken from him.

"Guys?" Alfred asked, thankfully keeping his voice down. "Hello?"

"We're over here," Toris replied just as quietly, wishing he could actually see his friend's face instead of having to work from his voice. "Do you remember anything?"

"I-" Alfred cut off, swearing quietly, either from the headache or from his mind catching up to the present. "Kidnapped?"

"Seems like it," The Lithuanian-American replied. "I'm not sure why, though…"

"It's me," Alfred replied after a moment. "I think it's the same guys I fought off before trying to help Alex; must've got you guys too since you were with me."

"Are you sure?"

Toris could almost see the pseudo-shrug. "It's the only thing I can think of, unless you or Yao managed to annoy anyone recently."

"Could you two keep it down?" Yao groaned from their other side, words half-mumbled and slightly slurred. "Urgh…"

"Yao, are you alright?" Toris asked, turning back to him.

"Nothing worse than I dealt with in college," The Chinese man exhaled, cracking his eyes open with a wince. "Where-"

"Warehouse," The brunet replied. "Alfred thinks he knows who grabbed us."

"Grabbed us?" Yao blinked, looking a bit more alert after he shook his head. "Wait, we were, and then-"

"Would you three quiet down?" A new voice groused, making both Toris and Yao stiffen, and likely Alfred too, although it was hard to say. "Some of us are trying to take a nap."

"Oh gee," Alfred replied as the man walked into view. "Sorry for disturbing your beauty rest."

The man scowled, sending a booted kick into the blond's side. "Don't be smart mouthed with me, freak lover. You were the one who interrupted our work in the first place."

"You attacked an innocent man, and I was supposed to just let it slide?"

"That thing is a monster that needed to be put down!" The man's dark eyes flashed with anger. "But we have you now, and if that thing cares at all it'll come for you and we can finally deal with it. If we're lucky it might even bring its buddy or those traitors-"

"Enough." Another man appeared, clamping a hand onto the first man's shoulder and staring him down impassively. "They don't need to know."

"Sorry," The brunet sighed, turning to leave with his partner. "He was being annoying."

"They'll be dealt with soon enough. Just stay focused on the job." The pale blond told him as they walked away.

"Yeah, yeah, bossy."

The trio remained silent for several minutes, not really sure what else to say or even what to ask. Toris was not fond of the idea of being bait for someone(s?), but unless one of them could get free, what could they do?

"Alfred?" Yao asked eventually. "What did he mean by 'freak lover'?"

Toris turned to face his other friend, who remained silent for a solid minute.

"...I'm sorry, but I can't say." Alfred replied quietly. "I promised."

"...alright." Yao relented. "I understand."

Trust was a noble trait, to be sure, but for once Toris really wanted to understand just what in the world was going on and why it involved his friend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Toris POV! And we're getting close to finishing this so I might pull another Hero Training in July and just finish this and my other close-to-done works (or arcs or whatever) so that I can start on new projects sooner rather than later.


	22. Lucky Break

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Basch and Erzsebet get a lucky break at last.

"Damn, they've completely lined the place with perimeter wards," Basch complained, looking through his specialized binoculars at the warehouse they'd finally come to after a few tracking spells and some investigative work. "Looks like they're expecting company."

"Well we knew they'd be using this as bait for us and the other two," Erzsebet replied from beside him, fiddling with her old gauntlet. "It was pretty obvious when they didn't even try and hide their tracks, and even now it's only a question of what they have waiting for the first people to cross the line."

The Swiss-America turned slightly, focusing his binoculars on the doorway and, after a minute, picking out the signature of a dormant spell. "Looks like they're hoping to seal us in, probably with spirits or curses."

"Probably can be reset too in case we don't all come at once," She grit her teeth, hitting the tree trunk next to her. "They actually thought this through - if we don't go they'll kill the others and come for us instead, if we go we're stuck while they go and hunt down the other two."

"Rushing in isn't going to help us, and if they haven't killed the others yet we still have time to think of a way around." Basch lowered his binoculars, glancing up to the roof with a frown before bringing them back up. "The roof has fewer defenses, but in order to get over the wards we'd have to come in from at least twenty feet above the ground, and none of the trees are close enough to risk the jump."

"How long do you think it would take us to make a hole in the scheme large enough to get us through without triggering the ward?" She asked after a moment's thought.

"At least twenty minutes," He replied, sighing. "And I can't be sure I wouldn't trip it accidentally - it's been awhile since I've had to."

"Guess this is what we get for letting go," Erzsebet sighed, waving for the binoculars to be handed over so she could look around herself.

"It's not like we expected this to happen," Basch pointed out. "You know I wouldn't have my sister here if I hadn't thought it was safe from council machinations."

Erzsebet conceded the point. "Still, I'd feel a bit safer with my skills back up to par, you know?"

"Yeah," He agreed, sighing.

Neither of them wanted to particularly think about what might happen if the council chose to take offence rather than quietly letting it drop - as small an order as they were, they still had more than enough tricks available to them to make the duo's lives - and those of their friends - considerably more miserable if they so chose.

Basch, of the two of them, had far more to fear for; his kid sister Erika, who had been his responsibility since he'd been seventeen and she seven, was not aware of his previous occupation and wasn't going to so long as she showed no signs of magic. If she got caught up in this the way Alfred had and the others soon might…

Basch exhaled sharply, forcing his mind back to the present. He could worry about her later - the apartment was already warded against intrusion of any sort as strongly as he could manage, and when she was with her friends she was generally in a place too public for all but the most foolish to attempt anything against. Between that and the necklace which was linked to his own and would heat up if she were injured, he felt confident in allowing her to do as she pleased so long as she didn't stay out too late.

"Hold on, I think I see something over to the right side of the ward," Erzsebet frowned suddenly, binoculars lifting and dropping several times as she tried to pick out whatever was over there.

Basch couldn't make out anything at all, glancing to his partner questioningly. "What is it?"

"I don't-" She started, only to leap with him when the wards abruptly lit up, several spells lighting the woods to the side but hitting nothing.

"Did something just-" He started, blinking several times. "Wait, have the wards reset yet?"

"No, they're still cooling down," Erzsebet shoved the binoculars back into her pack, pushing herself up from the branch they'd been sitting in and getting ready to hop down to the ground. "C'mon, let's get going before it does - it looks like it only has a few minutes, which should be enough to get in and out if we hurry."

Basch clamber down right behind her, running straight towards the side entrance they'd picked out earlier as their best chance. "What if this is a trap?"

"What'd be the point if no one was here?" She asked in reply. "We've been here for almost an hour; if they had a way to detect us without us noticing, they'd have used it well before now."

"Point," He grunted as he shoved the door open, waiting for her to run in before closing it behind them. "What triggered it then?"

"I don't know," She admitted, slowing down as their steps started to make more noise in the quiet interior of the building. "But I might have an idea."

"Like?"

Erzsebet paused, glancing to him significantly. "Did you know Alfred's brother apparently has an in with the fey?"

"...well then." The Swiss man replied after a moment's thought. "I'm glad he's on our side right now."

"I think it's more he's on the side of the people trying to keep his brother alive," She replied, returning to their trek into the middle of the warehouse. "But yeah, I think we can both agree on that."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Only four chapters after this and we're done whoo! I can't believe I'm finally finishing this, and even if its not the best I finished it and that's what matters most.


	23. Cry Havok

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Meanwhile, over with Tommy and Alex...

"God fuckin' damnit Alex," Tommy swore under his breath, really wishing he had a more convenient alternate form that wasn't so awkward to shift into so he could catch up to his friend that much faster. The sad thing was that Alex hadn't even bothered to shift into a wolf yet, seeing as there were still shoeprints to follow in the softer dirt patches.

Really, why was he even bothering? Alex almost never listened to him when it came to their mutual safety, and his recklessness always ended up making Tommy's own life that much harder. They'd only become friends out of circumstance, happening to be in the same town when shit went down and they had to bunk it out together. Maybe it had been the stresses of their mutual separation from their families bonding them, who knew, he wasn't exactly a psychology expert.

Eh, whatever, he still wanted to punch Alex in the face and shake some sense into him regardless of feelings, so he could worry over that sort of soul searching thing after he'd hopefully kept the guy from running straight into trouble like a dumbass mutt.

Speaking of which, where was he going-

A hand clamped over his mouth and dragged him to the side, muffling the surprised squawk before he attempted an elbow to the gut to escape.

"Shut up, ya fruitbat, or they'll hear us."

Tommy's eyebrows rose in surprise, then incredulity. He was the one who'd run off half-assed and he was telling him to be quiet? "Who, the people who'd kill us if they got wind of us bein' here or the ones you specifically told you wouldn't run off to be a hero to not two hours ago?"

Alex gave him a flat look, releasing him so he could fall to the ground gracelessly. "You didn't exactly have to come after me, you know."

"What, and let yourself nearly get killed again for the fourth time this month?" The brunet balked. "You might be a pain in the ass, but I don't want you dead yet."

"Thank you for the stunning vote of confidence," The Canadian replied. "And I'm not even planning on going in unless it sounds like they need help, honest."

Tommy rolled his eyes. "Which of course would be about a minute after they went in and didn't come right back out with your boyfriend at hand."

"I'm not that impatient, fuskass."

"Right, two minutes, my bad." Came the immediate correction, drawing a glare from the other before both of them returned to a silent watch of the warehouse they were watching from a distance.

Eventually, though, Tommy just had to ask, because this was boring and he wanted to be home and maybe if he pissed Alex off enough he'd get distracted from this rescue mission of his. "You know, if you'd told me you were seeing him before now I would have totally understood your reasoning behind all this. Like, I mean that ass is something I would tap any day of the week-"

"Drop it, Tommy," Alex growled, shooting an even darker look. "I just owe him and you know it."

The brunet remained unconvinced, though, just returning a pointed look of his own.

The blond sighed after a bit drooping. "Just- drop it, alright? He's a decent guy, not one of your weekend buddies or whatever you're calling them now."

"...holy shit," Tommy replied after it clicked, sass dropping entirely as he kept staring at his friend. "You actually do have a crush. Oh man, that's just- does he even know?"

"He liked Bucky, not me," The werewolf groaned. "Doesn't fucking matter anyways when we leave next week, does it?"

"Yes, it does when I'm going to have to deal with your moping around the apartment for the next couple of months."

"I don't mope-"

They both jumped when the air suddenly started to buzz with magic, some hidden trigger being set off and saturating the region with spells that thankfull were pointed far from their direction. Glancing from the warehouse to each other, neither said anything for a long minute.

Tommy sighed in defeat. "Fine, how're we doing this?"

Alex glanced to the building and back. "Do you think you can get in from the roof? If you can make sure the hunters aren't in there when I am, maybe I can use the distraction to at least get the three out."

"And how're you doing that?"

The blond gave his friend a tight smile. "I'm about to find out, aren't I?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahahaha honestly I love this fic mostly for the interactions between these two. Like, seriously, Alex and Tommy have the best dynamics possibly just because they're just jerks to each other but you know there's still true love somewhere in there. Ehehehe...


	24. The Art of Deception

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yao is capable of working with what he's given under most circumstances, even if they aren't to his liking.

Yao exhaled, opening his eyes again after another test of the ropes to see if they'd loosened. Nothing. The duo who'd caught them clearly knew what they were doing, which annoyed him even more because if he could just wriggle out of these damn ropes he could kick their sorry asses for their impunity-

No, he needed to be calm and think. Was there anything nearby he could use to get leverage, or pull close, or basically do anything with in order to help?

Considering all there were were closed boxes and his two friends, the answer appeared to be a resounding no. Dammit all.

He leaned back and groaned, baffled again as to how things had escalated so quickly. He really wished Alfred would tell them more about what he knew, but he understood that perhaps what he was keeping hidden might be even worse than his silence and could possibly get them killed where perhaps they might be allowed to go on pleading ignorance of the matter.

The thought was noble, but unlikely - if these fellow ran in any way similar to whatever other seedy underground organizations did, they wouldn't want to leave anything, or anyone, that could incriminate them, even if they had to burn down the warehouse with them in it.

(He really, really hoped that didn't actually end up happening.)

Suddenly feeling very unnerved, he glanced to the other two, hoping they were still alright. Thankfully, both seemed to be, although both looked tense from the reality of their current and future prospects sinking in at last.

"Does anyone know we're even here?" He asked finally.

Alfred exhaled. "I think Basch and Erszi might know, but when or if they're coming I couldn't say."

"Are you sure?" Toris turned, looking more hopeful at their more prepared friend possibly mounting a rescue or getting the police at least.

"I was supposed to meet them after lunch, so when I didn't show they might've guessed something was up," The blond offered. "Plus I've talked to them about how I got involved with these guys, so if they're able to put things together-"

"-Then they'll know to send for help and maybe even where to look." Yao frowned. "Wait, did you tell them what you haven't told us?"

"No, I told them what I told you. She was pretty annoyed with me too, honestly."

"I can't imagine why," The Chinese man drawled.

"I know, right? I save one guy's life and suddenly I'm on the mafia hitlist or something; if this were a movie it'd almost be cool to watch except I would obviously be managing an awesome escape to save the day and beat the bad guys."

Toris and Yao exchanged the long-suffering looks of those who knew Alfred long enough to be familiar with his love of such films and his not-so-secret desire to star in one someday if given the chance. Not to say he wasn't happy with his current job; it was just one of those things on his to-do list.

(The fact that he even had a to-do list before he was even thirty probably said a lot about him too, all things considered.)

Yao glanced back up to the ceiling, frowning suddenly as he thought he saw something - or someone? - move past the roof window. Was rescue finally coming? No, wait, he had no clue where their kidnappers were, so he had to stay silent so as not to alert them. How to do that…

Ah, well there was  _that_. He mentally apologized to Toris ahead of time, to be offered more fully after this was over with.

"I don't know why you think you'd be the one escaping; if anything it'd be me, seeing as the fit the archetype much better. I suppose you could be the forlorn love interest, since Toris makes a better right hand man when it comes down to it."

Toris was staring at him, and he didn't need to see his face to know Alfred was gaping blankly at him.

" _I am not the love interest!_ " He complained, voice raising before the other two shushed him back down to a reasonable volume.

"I don't know, Alfred," Yao continued, bringing his hands forward to count off his points. "You have blond hair, blue eyes, and would be considered moderately attractive to an audience. All you'd have to do would be to dress up in a more form fitting outfit and you'd be…"

Wait a second. Yao glanced down at his unbound hands, looking up to Toris who had probably noticed before him if the closed-eyed grimase said anything.

"Speaking of getting us out, apparently the knots on mine worked loose," He offered to Alfred, who couldn't actually see it. "What were you saying again?"

"Fuck you, just get us out," Alfred pouted heavily, even as Yao quickly went over to each of them to work the ropes loose.

"Can we get any sort of makeshift weapon quickly?" He asked after they were free and standing, rubbing their sore wrists as they thought of what to do next.

"I think there's some frying pans in this box," Toris noted after glancing at the crate Alfred had been half-hidden behind.

Yao and Alfred exchanged looks, then shrugged. "I can work with that."

Thusly equipped, the three were just about ready to start searching for an exit before they heard the shouting and sound of fighting start up nearby. Exchanging glances, they all eventually sighed and nodded in unison ofthe silent change of plans, because if that was their supposed rescuers then it'd be better to let them know they were free sooner rather than later.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Almost to the end! I'm hoping the last two chapters will be to your liking, although without reviews in a while I have no clue if anyone really gave a shit about this story. Ah well. I'll be able to relax and not do other shippy shit so that's something!


	25. The Battle of the Decade

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Truly no greater feat of combat has even been written in fanfiction form.

Alex grumbled under his breath, lying flat against the top of a crate as he tried to listen for any sort of movement. Such a task would be easier if he were a wolf, but considering where he was and the limits that would place on him were he to change, he had to make due with his human senses instead.

Maybe Tommy had been right about this being a bad idea. Not that he would dare admit that aloud, because damn could the guy lord over something forever if given half a chance. Speaking of which, where was that bat?

He lifted himself up enough to better look around, finally seeing his friend on another crate nearby. He'd apparently managed to make his way in from the roof after all, which marginally relieved him because he honestly hadn't been sure if they would trap the roof as well or not. Considering he was in one piece, abet still looking annoyed with him.

"What's the next step to your master plan?" Tommy drawled once he'd managed to jump the last gap, crouched down beside him.

"I'm thinking, gimme a second," Alex replied, glancing around. He hadn't had much time to look for Alfred after he'd gotten in due to one of the guys returning while muttering under his breath, and right now he wasn't entirely sure where they were or if they suspected an invasion already. "Did you see where they were?"

"I think I saw a guy towards the back, so if they're being kept together then that's where we need to go."

The Canadian nodded, judging the distance and figuring they could make their way there easily enough. "Let's get going then."

"Have to save your boyfriend sooner rather than later, right?" Tommy grinned.

"Fuck off Tommy-" Alex's eyes widened when he saw the spell coming, grabbing his friend and dragging him to the ground and feeling the chill of it as it passed right over their heads. "Down to the floor!"

"You don't need ta tell me twice," The brunet replied as he rolled to the side and tumbled to the ground below, Alex shoving himself the opposite way and managing to land on his feet, jarring as impact was.

The other guy was apparently already waiting, though as Alex had almost come to expect this due to their one-two tactics of before, he didn't hesitate in having his fist swing around to nail the guy in the face, sending him reeling while Alex took the chance to get around a corner and away from both of them.

So much for plan A. At the least he could finally offer a satisfying beatdown to these losers now that they'd broken their own group's rules of no civilian involvement, regardless of whether one of them actually knew or not. He really hoped Hedervary had been right about them getting full trial once she sent in a report on their actions, because if the council decided to push this he'd probably have to live in the Yukon or something, and if Tommy didn't die of cold Alex would probably end up killing his complaining ass.

A spirit divebombed him, forcing him to dodge forward and avoid it, because he currently had nothing that could affect it and wasn't interested in whatever it might be able to do to him. When he heard cursing behind him, he risked a glance back to see Tommy dive in from a different corridor, doing some fancy footwork to avoid the spells being shot at him.

The spirit made another lunge for him, backed up by its master's spells, leaving him to dodge awkwardly to the side and ramming against a box with a bit more force than he liked. Turning to face them again, he startled when a crack rang out, the spirit dissolving into nothing as the bullet tore its thin shell to pieces.

"Do we seriously have to save your asses again?" Hedervary complained from her spot next to her companion. "I told you two to listen-"

"Now, Lukas!" The hunter yelled to his spirit wielding companion, who nodded and raised his hands in concentration.

The ground underneath all four of them alit in a complex array of runes, dragging them all to the ground as gravity suddenly tripled. Damn, had they prepared for even this? How freaking paranoid could they even be?

"Well, well, well," The brunet grinned as he walked to the edge of the region, looking them all over. "Looks like the bait worked after all. Four misfits in one go; the council will be even so pleased."

"They're going to kill you for this," Hedervary's companion bit out, gritting his teeth against the stress. "Attacking former members."

"Who says that's what they're going to hear?" He asked them. "For all they knew, you were the ones who attacked us while we were just scouting, and we had to stop you for our own safety."

Holy fuck, this guy was insane, and his buddy wasn't even contradicting him, just looking bored out of his mind while maintaining the seal array. Alex wanted to scream in frustration, eyes shutting as the futility of everything that he'd done up to then finally sank in. This was seriously the worst way to go, and he hadn't even-

There were two clangs, and suddenly the pressure stopped. Opening his eyes in surprise, he glanced to where the two hunters had been only to see them crumpled to the ground, Alfred and his Asian friend behind each of them with frying pans aloft, the third guy (Toris, wasn't it?) behind them and wielding one as well.

"Hah, told you I wasn't the damsel! Heroes always save the day at the last minute!" Alfred cheerfully bragged, directing his gaze to his Asian friend (...Yao?) who merely rolled his eyes in response.

...Well then. That made him feel more than a bit awkward. At least he had the luck to glance over and see Hedervary and friend looking equally sheepish.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's a wrap aside from tomorrow's chapter. Yes, I made the fight anticlimatic, that's part of the point, because it's like 'oh these guys will all have awesome battles to save the day!' but nope it was a lie. I am a master liar.


	26. All's Well That Ends Well

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Somethings things can work out well for everyone involved after all.

All things considered, things could have ended a lot worse. After getting over the embarrassment of having to be rescued by the people they'd come to rescue in the first place, Basch and Erzsebet had hemmed and hawed and finally come clean to the other two members of their small band of coworkers and friends since there really wasn't much of a way to lie about the giant set of runes lighting up the floor or, well, much of anything else.

Yao and Toris had both turned stared at him after it was explained just how he'd found out about the whole issue, but thankfully they didn't blame him for keeping his mouth shut when he'd had those two breathing down his neck about it. Most of the concern initially, other than the whole 'wait all this shit is real?' knee jerk reaction was, of course, the realization that 'Bucky' had actually be a werewolf and that the two had known the whole time.

Alex had, surprisingly, been willing to cover for them and explain that really they had just been doing their jobs, and then explaining what he had to Alfred about the reasoning behind the information lock, which overall defused most of the tension, though Yao still looked ready to chew the two out for messing with his records behind his back.

But really, nothing much seemed to have changed after things went back to normal. Alfred was still taking advantage of his vacation to relax and spend time with his brother or Alex, while the others were dealing with whatever popped up back at the center. The only main moment of excitement came from actually meeting Tommy for the first time, which had come a few days after the incident and had surprised Alfred when it had been the brunet at the door instead of Alex.

"So you're the guy Alex got all worked up over," He looked Alfred up and down, huffing in some private amusement. "Guess I can see why he likes ya so much."

"Is there a reason you're here, or…" Alfred asked, trying not to get too irritated with him.

"Just wanted to chat a bit before we left is all, since I know he's never going to bother because he's an idiot." Tommy replied, amusement fading somewhat as he sighed. "Can I come in, or what?"

"Alright, just try not to touch anything, my brother's been doing something and I don't wanna know what happens if I interrupt it."

The brunet nodded and followed the other in, accepting the offered seat and waiting for Alfred to sit as well,glancing around a bit. "Nice place."

"Thanks?"

Tommy exhaled, leaning forward a bit. "Since I've heard you get frustrated with people dancing around the subject, I'm just gonna be blunt - Alex considers ya a good friend, and since it's rare enough for him to make one of his own volition I'm interested in keeping things going between you two as long as I can manage. For one, it'll keep him from clamming up again when we get to the new place, which is annoying on its own, but hopefully it'll also keep him from moping so much which is probably even worse because that can last for months, and I'm not interested in that deal this time around."

"...so what do you want me to do about it?" Alfred asked, a bit baffled. Alex actually considered him a friend even after everything that'd happened?

Tommy grinned. "Well, if I just so happened to have your number on hand when we got to the new place, and you just so happened to get his number after he's settled in, then he'd have no reason to avoid your calls, would he? And I'm not asking for like everyday phone calls or whatever, just like maybe once a week checking in on him and shit to make sure he has human contact besides me and whoever he's working with at the time, because who knows, that might make him just a bit less of a stick in the mud."

The blond thought it over for a few seconds then, deciding there was no harm, accepted. "I think I can do that if he won't be too bothered by it."

"Trust me, he won't turn you away," Tommy grinned a bit more widely, leaving Alfred feeling a mite suspicious.

"Is there something I should know about all this?" He asked. "Because I really don't want to find out the hard way later."

The brunet sighed, seeming to mull over his answer before replying. "For all he acts like he doesn't need people, he's still a mutt at heart, and he really hasn't been doing well without a large social network like we used to have. Just, don't be surprised if he starts calling you more often than not once he's sure you aren't going to get bored right off the bat, alright?"

"I can handle that," Alfred smiled, relaxing again now that things had been clarified. "By the way, are you a werewolf too?"

Tommy laughed quietly, then proceeded to show him otherwise.

(Alfred would forever after deny freaking out about vampires for all of ten seconds before getting annoyed with the brunet's boisterous laughter at his reaction. He was just a lying asshole, really.)

Eventually, though, move out day came along, and Alfred had, on advice from Tommy, dropped by to say goodbye since Alex apparently wouldn't.

"So." Alfred started awkwardly.

"...yeah." Alex's head hung. "It's been fun, I guess."

"Yeah," Alfred agreed, smiling slightly. "I guess I might see you around again sometime?"

"Maybe," Alex dodged, though his face said enough about his opinion of the chances of that happening. "Still, thanks, I guess, for everything."

"No problem. You look after yourself, alright? I don't wanna find out you got yourself injured and forced me to save you again."

"I'll do my best, but no promises."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And finished at last! Yes the ending sucks, and yes no one reads this, but it's doen and I am free and oh happy days ahahahah! I only have the rest of the Abydos Arc for Stargate and the rest of French!Mattie to do and that should be everything I still have due for the month aside from my summer exchange gift, so that'll give me more time to grind out oneshots and stuff.


End file.
